Confessions of a Capital L Loooooooser
by Jenvaati
Summary: Set after the game: The craftlord of Iron just came back from her three year trip around Lyndbaum. Updates: Clarie's back, Sanary's been humiliated again, and there is still basically no romance.
1. Chapter 1: Mia Amore

Confessions of A Capital L Loooooser

About: Summon Night: Swordcraft Story

Reason: I can be a very bored person. Also, that means that there is a high risk of OOC characters, and the plot (or lack thereof) may be illogical. I haven't played the game in a while. I don't know if this is funny or not, so I'll just put it at a nice genre of...general. But if someone does think it is funny, kindly say so so that I may put it in the appropriate genre. Thank you. (Cackle) This sounds so formal!

Summary: The craftlord of Iron just came back from her three year trip around Lyndbaum. How'd Wystern change while she was gone?

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or ideas for Summon Night: Swordcraft Story. But I DO own the game. AND LEGALLY AT THAT! OWNED.

And do you know what else? I also own the sequel! OWNED AGAIN!

Notes: Ignore the "Confessions of a". I've never read any of that series, like "Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen." Which I don't own either, mind.

Ages of the (very) main characters (Now while I don't know the true ages of the game to the exact number…DEAL):

Before the three year voyage:

Razzy: 10

Pratty: 12

Varil: 13

Sanary: 14

Ureksa, Bron, Kouren, Rondeau, Sakuro: who cares

After the voyage (if you need help with math):

Razzy: 13

Pratty: 15

Varil 16

Sanary: 17

One more thing. I don't like the name Pratty. In this story, her name is **Mia**. And her summon is **Zappe**. Pronounced like the word zap. Don't diss the extra 'pe'!

**For some reason, the astericks that stand for Zappe's way of talking are not showing up. Instead of them, there will be little o's.**

LAST notes: (Wow, I set this up horribly): I don't know Italian. I'm guessing Mia Amore means 'My love'. But it has nothing to do with…anything. It just has Mia's (PRATTY'S) name in it. So there. And, 'Division Claw (s)' divide up scenes. I like them, but you can associate them with lines like this...:

* * *

Chapter One: Mia Amore

"Are you sure your sensors couldn't detect that iceberg?" questioned Mia. The friend she could always count on, couldn't get rid of no matter what, very powerful and determined, and most of all her companion and summon creature A.K.A. Zappe, floated along side of her. No, that was not a run-on. Zappe answered back indignantly.

"Hehe, sorry. I know I promised I wouldn't mention your sensors anymore. But do you think Master Bron would notice the indent on his ship?"

Zappe stared back at her, and said something along the lines of, "Yeah, he'd notice."

"Hey! You're supposed to be encouraging!" Mia groaned. She was actually surprised that she was even _allowed_ to go on her trip, with a deadline of three years. Especially when she had just become a craftlord! Not only that, but to be borrowing Master Bron's private ship? Her mother was truly amazing…

But, it didn't come out entirely great. Zappe and Mia alighted from the ship, Zappe perfectly clean and maybe even shining, but Mia covered in seaweed from head to toe. She was even shivering a little. The water was really cold. Actually, one could say that it was even a funny incident. The ship hit an iceberg and Mia literally flew out, with no help from Zappe whatsoever. If Zappe wasn't a robot, it would probably laugh till the next year. Anyway, Mia swam back to the ship, safe but uncomfortable. Now she carried a big bag full of gifts for her friends and family, things that she's gotten from her trip.

"oooo!", said Zappe.

"Hm? Someone's there?" It took a while for Mia to process that, though she herself wasn't a machine. "Wh-what? I can't let anyone see me like this…! I wanted to surprise everyone."

"ooo," replied Zappe.

"You're right. Let me just grab this crate. Your sensors will help right?" whispered Mia.

"oo…"

"I didn't mean anything by it this time!" Mia found a crate at the harbor and hid underneath. Then she began walking, so it looked like the crate was walking. It was late at night, and she didn't think anyone would be awake. They were actually going to arrive in the morning, but reached Wystern earlier than planned.

"All we have to do is make it to the inn unseen…" whispered Mia, having poked two big holes to see through at the side of the crate with her knuckles. She thought they were small in her opinion, but Zappe knew otherwise.

"Who's there?"

"Hurry up, Zappe! We're almost at the inn!" ordered Mia with a determined voice, trying to ignore the person who noticed them.

"oooo...!" said Zappe.

Mia suddenly stopped, at Zappe's incredible show of intelligence. Incredible to her, anyway.

"Uh…I hadn't thought of that. You're right, we'd be stuck at the door of the inn," said Mia with a stupid grin on her face.

"ooo! oooo…" Zappe would have sighed if it could. But robots don't normally sigh.

"…Is that you Mia?" asked the person again, the one who noticed them before.

"Uh…No, I'm a crate," said Mia. Zappe made a screeching sound, obviously annoyed.

"Hey, what was that for, Zappe? I'm light-sensitive!"

"ooo…."

"I meant sound-sensitive! I mean…you know what I meant!"

"oo." Zappe punched the crate, breaking it into pieces, and revealing Mia and itself.

"Uh…hi, Varil," said Mia. "What are you doing here?"

"First, what are you _doing_?" asked Varil, taking note of the crate.

"I was going to surprise everyone. But _Zappe_ ruined it," muttered Mia.

"oo."

Varil rolled his eyes at Mia, who was sprawled on the floor in all her cratified glory. And now cratified is a word. Her hair was longer, though in the same style with the headset, and still as spiky as ever. Her outfit was red and black, as before, but her dress had a different design on it and was shorter. A picture of knuckles was printed on the front, and it seemed like her clothes allowed for lighter and faster movement. She was always really fast.

Mia picked herself up with as much dignity as she could muster. "Craftlord of Amber I presume?"

Varil looked taken aback. "How did you know?"

Mia grinned. "Zappe detected it with its sensors." At that, Zappe made another indignant and screeching sound. "Okay, okay, I'll stop with the sensor jokes…Razzy sent me a postcard. Congratulations, Varil, craftlord of Amber!"

Varil smiled. "Thanks. What kind of rival would I be if I couldn't be a craftlord?"

"Congratulations again!" said Mia with that continuous grin.

Varil was a lot taller than she remembered, a little more than a head taller. He was always more…vertically enhanced than she was, to use a different word, or group of words rather. He still had that permanent smirk, and the rich-looking clothes, and not to mention the aura that he was better than everyone else. Better than everyone except Mia that is, who he has accepted as his equal, and his rival. He too kept his main theme colors, blue and white. Mia and he seemed to be exact opposites. Red with blue, black with white, and where he was haughty and mean, Mia was usually kind and easygoing. Even so, they were best friends, and Mia was closer to him than anyone else in the village save for her mother, and vice versa except with Varil's father, maybe.

"What happened to you?" asked Varil. The seaweed was distracting.

"Uh…hehehe," Mia flushed embarrassedly. "I'll just...go now…can you keep it a secret that I'm here? I'll surprise everyone tomorrow."

"Whatever." Varil looked somewhat repulsed. "Later."

As an attempt to disguise herself further, Mia took out a large cloak from her bag and covered her head with the hood. She skulked into the inn, looking very suspicious and misplaced, especially in a place like Wystern. Zappe followed her, which took from the whole meaning of the disguise, but the dude behind the counter of the inn probably wouldn't remember it after three years. Varil sighed, and walked back to his spot at the park once more, staring into the fountain and thinking that his rival had a little _too_ much fun on her trip.


	2. Chapter 2: Craftlord of Crystal

"(...)..."

The dialogue in the parenthesis stand for thoughts.

Chapter Two: Craftlord of Crystal

"Sanary, guess what!" Razzy burst into Sanary's workshop excitedly, with the latest news. She's the Nigel of the younger generation. (Nigel as in the servant of the Gold Guild, who's filled with the latest rumors at all times, but with Varil and Libody's best interests at heart)

"Razzy! What if I was in the middle of changing my clothes? Don't just come into my workshop like that!" reprimanded Sanary.

"But you weren't changing," said Razzy matter-of-factly.

Sanary sighed. "What's up?"

"Oh, right! There's a cloaked person staying at the inn! It's very suspicious!" answered Razzy.

"Really? Are you going to check it out?" Sanary changed a lot over the past three years. Her hair went past her shoulders, and she usually left it down now. She also wore a short black dress with netted sleeves, almost like her sister's style, though more revealing.

"Of course I am! And you're coming with me!" said Razzy, as hyper as ever. Razzy kept her hair chin-length, but got rid of the yellow clothes. She now wore a casual outfit consisting of a t-shirt and shorts, which still reflected her tomboy spirit.

"And what makes you think I want to?" challenged Sanary.

Razzy looked a bit put down. "If you really don't want to I'll go by myself…"

Sanary laughed. "I'm kidding! Let's go."

----------------------------------------Division Claws-------------------------------------------------

"Wystern sure is different. This level looks like the third floor back when we were last here, so the tower must've sunk at least two levels…" commented Mia. She sat at a secluded table at the corner of the inn, with the hood covering most of her face.

"ooo?" asked Zappe.

"I'll take off the cloak later," replied Mia.

"Hey…" Sanary said. Razzy was right behind her, and they looked curiously at Mia, disregarding Zappe.

"Welcome to Wystern!" blurted out Razzy.

"ooooo," said Zappe.

"Now?" whined Mia. "Fine…" She took off her cloak and threw it aside.

"Mia? What was the cloak for?" asked Sanary, surprised.

"…Is that you Sanary?" asked Mia, blushing. "You look so, beautiful…"

"You really are interested in these things Big Sis," commented Razzy.

"In what?" asked Mia.

"In beautiful women," said Razzy.

"What? No! I was just saying…" Mia trailed off and just laughed nervously.

"Guys!" interrupted Sanary, who was blushing as well. "So how was your trip?"

"Pretty good. I got you something, Sanary." Mia had grinned slightly, and caught Razzy's eyes. Then she took a dress out of her bag…

"WHAT? I'm not taking that!" Sanary glared at Mia.

"Oh come on! I found the exact same maid outfit as the one you wore when you were captured! That wasn't easy!" exclaimed Mia.

"Hehe. Take it Sanary!" said Razzy.

"Mia! I don't see you in three years and you give me….THIS?"

"At least you're getting something! And it comes with a matching bow…how could you resist? I hope it fits," said Mia.

"I'll only wear this thing if you pay me," muttered Sanary.

"I can do that," said Mia. She caught Razzy's eyes again. "Hehe."

"You're impossible!" exclaimed Sanary, disgusted.

"I got you a present too Razzy!" Mia handed Razzy a box.

"Really? Thanks! I can't wait to see what's inside!" Razzy tore open the box, and took out a packet of seeds. "Flower seeds? This is the best present ever! You're the greatest Big Sis!"

"HEY! How come Razzy gets a present that she likes and I get a maid dress?" complained Sanary.

"Do you know how selfish you sound?" asked Mia, grinning.

Sanary grumbled and stomped out of the inn, leaving Mia and Razzy by themselves.

"I would be careful if I were you. Sanary's scary," said Razzy.

"Tell me about it," said Mia with a smirk. "So, you have to tell me everything that's going on, Razzy!"

"There's another craftlord tournament, because the position for the Craftlord of Crystal is open," Razzy informed her.

"Wait, wasn't that already open because Tyram retired?" asked Mia.

"Yeah, but we waited a year for this tournament. Last year we had one for the Craftlord of Amber, and I already told you that Varil won! Too bad you missed the Initiation Ceremony…you should've seen it! Varil was talking nonstop about how much he deserved it and how great he was!" said Razzy.

"That's Varil! Always so haughty," said Mia, grinning.

Suddenly, Razzy looked more serious. "But he also thanked you. He said that you helped him get stronger, and that you're a great rival."

"Really? Hehe," Mia turned red, and this time not from commenting on the beauty of other females.

"We're already up to the semifinals for this tournament! I got my match notice and I'll fight later today! It's against Omugi of the Gold Guild," continued Razzy.

"Is Sanary competing too?" asked Mia.

"ooo?…," interrupted Zappe.

"Who would I cheer for? Uh…I think that you should get the title of Crystal, Razzy. I remember that you used to look up to Master Tyram," said Mia.

"You remembered! I hope I win," said Razzy. "I have to perfect my technique…come to my match Big Sis!"

"Of course!" Mia nodded.

---------------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------------

"Mia! You're back," said Amariss. "How did the trip go?"

"You act like I just left for a day!" complained Mia. _Actually, everyone has_.

"One day, three years, what's the difference? Glad you're back, dear," said Amariss kindly. "What's with the big bag?"

"Oh this? I brought gifts for people…and I'm also carrying the check for the Gold Guild," answered Mia.

"ooo?" asked Zappe.

"The Gold Guild is more geared for increasing Wystern's economy, Zappe. Varil coached me through this! That's why I took the three year trip for the Gold Guild. It wasn't just for fun!" explained Mia.

"Does your own mother get a gift?" asked Amariss curiously.

"Hehe, yeah. I got you…a slipcover!" said Mia. She triumphantly pulled out a silk silver slipcover from her bag.

"A slipcover…" said Amariss slowly.

"You don't like it?" asked Mia, slightly disappointed.

"I like it," said Amariss quickly. "How thoughtful of you."

"Great!" said Mia, beaming. "I'm going to give Master Bron a quick visit and then go back to my worksh—"

"About that, you don't have a workshop anymore," interrupted Amariss.

"Huuuh?" Mia looked extremely confused.

"You were out for three years! Bron had to give the workshop to another apprentice. You're not even an apprentice anymore, Mia. You're a full-fledged craftlord. That trip around Lyndbaum should have ensured that," said Amariss.

"Well, yeah…I learned lots of new techniques…" murmured Mia.

"There's not enough room for your own workshop in the Silver Guild anymore. You can still use the forge there," said Amariss. "Unless you want to join the Gold Guild."

"…Should I?" asked Mia.

"It's your choice. Bron would be very disappointed if you did," said Amariss.

"That's true…" agreed Mia.

"Just give it some thought! You can always stay here for the night, so there's nothing to worry about!" said Amariss.

"Thanks Mom!"

--------------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------

"Mia! Abou' time ya came back! I was gettin' worried! If you didn't come soon, I was gonna take out a ship and drag ya back," said Bron.

"What kind of greeting is that?" Mia was happy to see her former master again. He looked the same as ever.

"What did ya expect? Milk an' cookies?" asked Bron angrily.

"That would've been nice…" answered Mia. "I brought you a present, Master Bron. Did you ever go fishing before?"

"Yeah. I used ta go all the time wit' Shintetsu an' Rondeau. You didn't hafta get me a present! You're a good kid," complimented Bron.

"Here, I got you a fishing rod!" Mia handed Bron the fishing rod, which he accepted gratefully.

Bron grinned at her. "Ya musta got yer kindness from Amariss! Hahahaha!"

"(Hopeless)……." Mia didn't reply, but grinned nonetheless.

"Did yer mother tell ya about yer workshop?" asked Bron.

"Yeah…" said Mia.

"Sorry abou' that, but we weren't even sure if ya were gonna come back at all. I heard ya took a job fer the Gold Guild. Are ya betraying the Silver Guild now?" asked Bron sternly.

"Um…I didn't join the Gold Guild," said Mia.

"Are ya gonna join it?" asked Bron.

"I might…" answered Mia.

Bron really did look disappointed. "I can't stop ya then. If ya really want to, go ahead. But after ya join the Gold Guild, we're not gonna accept you at this Guild anymore, so ya can't change your mind!"

"I understand Master," said Mia. "I promised to watch Razzy's match, so I should go right now."

"Tell me what ya decide!" said Bron.

-----------------------------------------Division Claw---------------------------------------

Omugi was very powerful, whereas Razzy was extremely fast. It was hard to break Razzy's weapon because she either dodged most of Omugi's attacks or increased its durability with the help of her summon, Rygel. However, whenever Omugi's hits would connect, Razzy suffered brutal damage, even when she dodged. It really came down to the last hit. Omugi's weapon could only take one more hit, whether he dealt it on Razzy or blocked. Razzy looked like she would faint any second, but her weapon was in good condition.

Omugi tried to strike Razzy, but she jumped over him, turned around, and hit his weapon as fast as she could, causing it to break and shatter. She was declared the winner, and advanced to the finals. When the match ended, everyone congratulated her but Sanary, who only said that _she_ was going to win and that Razzy didn't stand a chance. Mia took the opportunity after the match ended to give Sakuro a brand new curry ladle as her present to him.

-----------------------------------------Division Claw-----------------------------------------------

After Razzy's match, Mia made her way to the Gold Guild to give Libody the large sum that has accumulated over the past three years.

"Good work. This is more than enough for just three years. Are you still going to be as stubborn as your father? Why don't you come over to the Gold Guild?" asked Libody.

"I think I will…" said Mia.

"Really! We can set up a workshop for you right this minute! What do you say?" questioned Libody.

"Yes! I'll join!" Mia sounded more determined now.

"Why did you change your decision so suddenly?" asked Libody with a growing smirk on his face. "Three years enough for you to realize how much of an annoyance and a brute Bron is?"

"Oh no!" said Mia, with the grin that she always seemed to have. "I just think that my skills are better for the Gold Guild, since we help the economy here. (And…Varil is eldest son of the Gold Guild…hehe)"

"Are you sure that's it?" asked Libody with a sly tone.

Mia looked down. "Um…Bron gave away my workshop."

"Hahaha! See how dimwitted he is? He just lost a member that way! Nigel! Set up a workshop for this young lady," said Libody.

"Right away. Mia, come with me," said Nigel. He led her into a hallway that she's never been to before, since she didn't have access to it when she was a part of the Silver Guild. Nigel pointed out some of the rooms.

"This is Kenon's workshop…right next to it is Chaves…and then there's Omugi…"

It was mostly empty on the second floor of the Guild. Basically, the first floor was filled up, so Varil, since he was the eldest son of the Gold Guild and therefore one of the most powerful, was the sole resident of the second floor. All the other rooms were empty. Anyone else associated with the Guild preferred to live in homes outside, and not cooped up in the building with everyone else.

"You may have this workshop," said Nigel, entering a room about two doors down from Varil's. Since the Gold Guild is richer than the Silver Guild, it was obviously bigger, more organized, and just plain…richer. Even the forge looked better!

"Wow…this is all mine?" asked Mia, to clarify.

"Yes it is," said Nigel.

"Thank you, Nigel! I can't wait to try out the forge!" said Mia.

"oooo…..oooooooo…" said Zappe.

"But, it's NOT like all the other forges! Can't you tell, Zappe? This is classier!" argued Mia.

"oooo. Oooo!" said Zappe.

"Is it bad to like classy things?" asked Mia with a glare.

"ooo."

"Where are you going, Nigel?" asked Mia.

"I have to find out the latest news in Wystern…The Gold Guild is always the first to know everything for a reason," said Nigel.

"Just…don't tell Bron that I crashed his ship," said Mia embarrassedly.

Nigel nodded and left Mia's new workshop.

"Where to start, Zappe? This is so cool! Do you think I should visit the other workshops first?" asked Mia.

"oooo…." said Zappe.

"What do you mean you couldn't care less? How mean!" commented Mia.

"ooo," said Zappe.

"You're not programmed to be nice? But wait, wouldn't you not be programmed to be mean either?" asked Mia curiously.

"oo." Zappe screeched.

"Okay, okay, you win! Anyway, I think I'll stay here for the rest of the day. I know, I'll forge a weapon! Remember that nice old man that I gave cat food to?"

"oooooo! oo….," said Zappe.

"You're right; they do have a lot of cats now. He helped me a lot with the first tournament. He even taught me a new technique! I'm going to try it but change it around a little…" said Mia. She walked over to the shiny new forge and readied her hammer. "Ready Zappe?"

"ooo!"

---------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------------------------

"What do you think Zappe? I think this is our best yet! I'm going to call them 'Mia's Caticles! They're the fastest and lightest we've ever forged…and they have a wind element!" said Mia enthusiastically. She looked admiringly at the finished product, which was cat-shaped knuckles that were green where the claws were, and dangerously sharp.

"oooo," said Zappe.

"Hm? Sensors?" asked Mia, looking instinctively at the door. Just as it opened, Zappe hovered close to her ear and made the loudest, screeching noise that is possible to hear on a human frequency level.

"Waaah!" Mia flew backwards and smacked into the person who just entered her workshop. "Sorry Zappe, I didn't mean it!"

Mia and the new person landed hard on the floor.

"What was that for?" asked Varil angrily.

"Maybe you should knock first," said Mia in a teasing voice. Varil pushed her off of him and stood up with dignity, while she sulked at Zappe. "My ears are ringing…"

"oooo…"

"You're too sensitive Zappe…" murmured Mia. "Varil, don't your ears ring?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't hear anything," said Varil.

Mia gaped at him. "Really…? (Wow, he must be half deaf)"

"You shouldn't stare like that," said Varil in an I'm-much-better-than-you tone of voice.

"Uh, sorry." Mia's ears still rang, but she stood up and punched Zappe playfully. Zappe punched her just as playfully, which meant that she was sent toppling backward again. Fortunately, Varil stepped to the side, and just sighed when Mia was heard distantly falling down the stairs.

………Ten Minutes Later………

"That was NOT funny Zappe," muttered Mia as she entered her new workshop again.

"ooo?" said Zappe.

"What do you mean 'Really?' Are you being sarcastic?" asked an annoyed Mia.

"Ha…so, what are you doing in the Gold Guild?" asked Varil.

"Didn't your father tell you anything?" Mia answered with another question.

"He did, but I wanted to hear your side of the story," said Varil, smirking.

Mia blushed. "Uh…Master Bron got rid of my workshop."

"So you joined my guild? Pathetic," remarked Varil.

"Hey! How come you never told me how shiny the forges here were?" asked Mia with a stupid grin on her face.

"oooo…!" said Zappe.

"So what if you're shiny, Zappe? It's just not the same…" murmured Mia.

Varil smirked. "The forges in the Silver Guild must be second-rate then. That must've had _some_ affect on your weapons."

"Haha, like yours are better than mine!" countered Mia.

Varil frowned. "True, you did beat me in that last fight."

"Oh I get it. You're sucking up to me now because you know how much stronger I've gotten! Chicken!" teased Mia.

"Are you picking a fight?" Varil suddenly looked interested, with the smirk coming back on.

"Do you have to ask? Tonight at our usual meeting spot?" asked Mia with a determined look.

"You're on! Let's see just how out of practice you've gotten, Iron," said Varil.

"You've gotten more high and mighty, Amber. I guess the craftlord title is getting to your head!" Mia retorted.

"Oh yeah? And what's yours doing?" replied Varil.

"Hehe. (He got me there) See you at the park Varil! I have to tell Master Bron that I'm officially a Gold Guild member now," said Mia.

"Yeah? Good luck with that," said Varil.


	3. Chapter 3: ASPARagus

_Pointless chatter section (Now comes italicized! SWEET):_

_Short chapter, but probably the most emotional it'll get. Maybe. Whatever. (cackle) But…I'm posting the next chapter on the same day, so it doesn't matter how short this is! _

_..And, don't you just love the title? (Evil laugh) Fear my creativity!_

…_I bet that sounds really nerdy saying it out loud. _

_  
Last thoughts: …Can music get much better than country? Honestly! _

Chapter Three: ASPARagus

Varil waited at the park for at least a half an hour after he would usually leave. There were flower pots all around the park, the work of Mia right after she gained her craftlord title. She had kept her promise to Razzy, and there were flowers everywhere in Wystern. She was just not there to take care of it, but she trusted Razzy and Rondeau with the task.

Mia ran up to Varil just when he was about to leave. He remarked, "Took you long enough. I thought you forgot."

"Sorry. It took longer than I thought to leave the Silver Guild," said Mia.

"Hmph. Ready?" Varil took out his spear, which would be called "Varil's Spear EXXXXX." Just for future reference. Five X's. He'll probably make another one within the next few months.

"Always! Let's go," said Mia, putting on her "Mia's Catikles". "I can use another spear technique."

They made a mutual yet unspoken agreement not to use their summon creatures. That just meant a very dejected Tete and Zappe, didn't it?

Varil tried to strike the first blow, but Mia blocked. She quickly executed an uppercut, but it was Varil's turn to block that. Varil was as powerful as Mia was fast, however, and he couldn't catch up to her half the time to strike. She dodged and used hit-and-run tactics most of the time. Her opponent took advantage of that after getting used to her strategy, but then she switched and began to take a more offensive approach. Mia hit Varil endlessly, as knuckle type weapons are prone to do. He quickly blocked, but it didn't last long. He couldn't last much longer, and his weapon was not as durable either. Mia was not much better off, but her sheer willpower and intense energy brought her to victory. She caused his weapon to break, even though she was severely weakened and was almost at the end of her rope.

For a few moments, Mia and Varil just stood panting, and gathering up the energy to speak. Finally, Mia took a seat at the fountain, and Varil followed suit. She grinned at him.

"That was a close one!"

"Yeah…I still have to catch up to you," said Varil. He admired her, but he didn't show it. "I'll catch up to you, just you wait!"

"That doesn't matter…I was just lucky today. You would've won if you just dodged my last attack," remarked Mia.

"You're really strange sometimes…" commented Varil.

"Really…?" Mia shrugged, and then took out a hammer, the kind used for forging. It was normal enough, except that it looked like it was made out of pure gold, and the name 'Varil' was engraved on the handle. She happened to be carrying it around with her, along with her other extra weapons. "Well…I made this for you while I was on my trip."

Varil looked completely taken aback. "Thanks…Mia." He truly wasn't expecting anything of the sort.

"That's it? No 'I could've done much better!'? You're just shy, aren't you?" asked Mia.

"Shut it!" snapped Varil with a slight tinge of red. He looked at the hammer with a small smile. Before Mia, he hadn't had any real friends, and he didn't normally get presents either. He usually got everything he wanted since he was rich anyway. He wasn't exactly sure how to react to this, and he needed time to think…

Mia shrugged at Varil's reaction, but went to her workshop for some much needed rest.


	4. Chapter 4: Zappe's Malfunction

_Pointless Chatter Section: _

_This and the next chapter are personally my favorites so far…Oh wait, I have something not-so-pointless to say this time—_**Zappe's way of talking is changing to z's instead of o's.**_Why? 'Cuz z's just look so much cooler. Aw, if only astericks worked on this. Oh well._

_On to the story! And, just 'cuz I can, I'll post the next chapter today as well! _

Chapter Four: Zappe's Malfunction

Mia was reluctant to leave the too-good-to-be-true-and-surprisingly-comfy bed. Everything had better quality here at the Gold Guild than the Silver. She really didn't know what she was missing before! It didn't seem perfectly right though. A lot of the funds that should have been geared towards Wystern's economy must've been abused by Libody himself. He seemed to have used a lot of it on the wellbeing of the Guild, especially to spruce it up. He also probably owned the mansion on the other side of this level of Wystern…Actually; Mia was almost certain he did. She knew for sure that Varil, Libody, and Nigel didn't live at the Guild and would spend nights somewhere else most of the time. This was not new information—she knew this even before she decided to grace the Gold Guild with her presence.

"zzz!...zzzzz…zzz! zzzz!" said Zappe.

"You're not feeling well? What do you mean? I thought robots couldn't get sick," said Mia, confused. She sat up on the bed, while Zappe started to heat up and crackle.

"zzzz!" clarified Zappe.

"A malfunction? What do we do?" asked Mia, leaving her bed entirely for the sake of her summon creature. Her expression rapidly became worried.

"zzzz…" said Zappe.

"You don't know, huh…did this ever happen to you before?" asked Mia. "Maybe with my father?"

"zz," said Zappe.

"Why would it just happen all of a sudden!" exclaimed Mia, not meaning it as a question. "I know, maybe we should ask Master Rondeau what he thinks. I hope he's not busy."

"zzzz…" said Zappe.

"I'll go as fast as I can. Why don't you stay here and rest, Zappe?" suggested Mia.

"z," agreed Zappe. Mia rushed out of the Guild and after asking directions to where Rondeau's house would be now that Wystern's levels were different from when she last lived here, she finally wandered into her destination. Rondeau was tending some of his flowers, and looked up suddenly when Mia entered.

"Hello Mia. Is there something you wanted?" asked Rondeau.

"Yeah…my summon creature is malfunctioning. I don't know why or how, but I need to help it somehow!" said Mia. "Do you think it can just…break?"

Rondeau stroked his beard thoughtfully. "It might. Where is Zappe?"

"At my workshop," answered Mia.

"At the Gold Guild?" asked Rondeau. A somewhat amused expression crept into his face. "Haha, that'll show Bron!"

"Huh?"

Rondeau coughed. "Ahem. Take me to Zappe, and I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks Master Rondeau!"

-----------------------------------Division Claws------------------------------------------

"zzzzz…" said Zappe. It was a higher temperature than when Mia had left it, and it was making a louder noise than before. Above the crackling noises was also a consistent buzzing. Rondeau peered over at Zappe, looking concerned.

"There's probably something wrong with the inner mechanisms of Zappe," said Rondeau.

"Huuuuh?" Mia didn't understand a word. She only got as far as 'something wrong'.

"You'll have to show it to Sakuro. I was never any good at these things…" admitted Rondeau.

-----------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------------

"We'll have to take Zappe apart," said Sakuro after a moment's hesitation.

"Wait…what? Won't that make Zappe MORE broken?" asked Mia.

"Not necessarily. In this case, we can fix Zappe's internal structure, while maintaining its memories and intelligence. All we have to do is dismantle Zappe and study its inner workings where the problem is sure to reveal itself and—" said Sakuro.

"Uuuuhhhhhh," Mia interrupted. "What?"

Sakuro sighed. "We're taking Zappe apart, fixing the problem inside, and then putting it back together."

"Oh! How do we do that? Zappe, did you come with a manual?" asked Mia.

Zappe stared at Mia like she was the stupidest life form in the universe. "zzz…"

"It's easy!" said Sakuro with a mad glint in his eye. "We'll use…this!" He held a screwdriver in his hand.

Zappe, though still crackling and burning hot, backed away from Sakuro. It entreated Mia to stop the madman before he got too close.

"Master Sakuro, I don't think that's a good idea…" said Mia slowly.

Sakuro looked disappointed. "Do you have a better one?"

"Maybe we should…let Zappe cool down in water?" suggested Mia.

"How is that going to help?" asked Sakuro disbelievingly. "If all else fails, I suggest we send Zappe back to its world."

"B…back?" stammered Mia. "No way!"

"Do you want it to self-destruct instead?" asked Sakuro slyly.

"No! F…fine…but, won't we need a summoner?" asked Mia, groping for other solutions.

"…Yes, you're right. I'll get one," said Sakuro. He left Mia's workshop. She stared at Zappe hopelessly.

"Zappe, come with me! You're only going back if you say so and when you're all better! If Master Sakuro doesn't know how to fix you…maybe Master Kouren can help? I'll go ask Sanary where she is!"

A short moment later, Mia burst into Sanary's workshop.

"Well, well, well…look, it's the Guild traitor. What do you want, Mia?" asked Sanary.

"What's with that greeting? I need your help, Sanary! Look at Zappe!" Mia pointed at Zappe, acting as if the world was going to end.

"W…what did you DO?" asked Sanary.

"Me? I didn't do that!" Mia protested. "I don't know what to do…I thought that Kouren would help…"

"Sis? Uh…I don't know. She should be in the Craftlord office. I'll come with you," said Sanary.

"But you're not a craftlord…" said Mia.

"Yeah, so? Do you have a problem?" asked Sanary irritably.

"No…" said Mia.

"Good! Let's go," said Sanary, walking at a fast pace. Mia hurried after her, and in no time at all they reached the craftlord office. Sanary blatantly ignored the guards and walked straight up to Kouren.

"Sis! Mia's summon creature looks like its going to blow up," said Sanary.

"Oh?" Kouren lazily gazed at Zappe. "Did you show it to Sakuro?" She acted as if this was an everyday occurrence.

"Yeah…but it didn't help," said Mia.

"Give me a minute," said Kouren. She walked into one of the separate cubicles and rummaged in the drawers. When she came back, she was grasping a screwdriver.

"zzz…" said Zappe.

"Why does everyone want to destroy Zappe!" exclaimed Mia in alarm. She and Zappe simultaneously backed away from Kouren.

"Now, now…it won't be that bad," assured Kouren. With her free hand, she started to play with her hair, giving the impression that she wasn't going to fully focus on Zappe even if she was allowed to work with it.

"Th…That's okay, Master Kouren…" said Mia.

"What do you mean? How else would you fix Zappe?" challenged Sanary.

"I don't know, but I have to do it fast! Master Sakuro's looking for a summoner to send Zappe back to its world!" exclaimed Mia.

"Hmhm…Do you remember the summon creature you fought to get the Dragon Fang Ore?" asked Kouren.

"You want me to get more Dragon Fang Ore? How's that going to help?" asked Mia, distraught.

"No. The summon creature is also a mechanoid," said Kouren calmly.

"Oh…" said Mia, comprehension dawning. "What level is he on?"

"As of right now…He should be on about the sixtieth level of the labyrinth. Good luck," said Kouren.

"Good luck…?" repeated Mia.

"You're going to need it," said Sanary. "Zappe won't be able to help you."

"No problem, I'll handle it. But where should Zappe stay?"

"Zappe can stay with me…" said Kouren.

"N-no, that's okay…" said Mia, catching sight of the screwdriver that still remained in Kouren's hands.

"I'm too busy to baby-sit your summon creature, Mia! My match with Razzy is coming soon," said Sanary.

"Oh! I'll have to hurry. I want to watch the match," said Mia.

"Don't waste your time talking here then," said Kouren quietly. "Hurry and talk to him…"

"Yes!" said Mia determinately. "I'll just look for someone to watch Zappe. I don't want anything happening to Zappe."


	5. Chapter 5: Race for a Life

_Pointless Chatter: _

_After you're done with this chapter, look at the Chatter-with-a-Point Section, will you? Thanks!_

Chapter Five: The Race for a Life

Mia ran down to the labyrinth, but just as she reached the entrance, Varil came out of it, luckily enough for her. She thought that she was going to have to take Zappe with her, despite all the dangers. Now that he was here, it saved her _and_ Zappe the trouble.

"Varilgladyou'reheretakecareofZappethankslater," she said in one breath.

"zzzz?" asked Zappe, but Mia had already left, leaving one very confused summon creature and one annoyed eternal rival.

Mia made use of the teleporter, which conveniently let her get to level 57 without trouble. Three floors would not be too hard, and she had stopped by at the curry place to buy some food just in case she ran out of energy. She fought through many stray summons and tripped over some suspicious bones before reaching her destination…level 60.

"I wonder who died down here…" muttered Mia, not exactly affected by how morbid the situation was.

"Would you like to join him?" asked a voice. Mia quickly turned around, and was faced with the exact mechanic summon she was looking for.

"No thanks. But I need your help!" said Mia bravely. "My summon creature is a robot, and Zappe is making buzzing noises and sounds like it might explode…"

"Hmm? I'll help only if you can beat me," said the stray. Mia did what she was told, in record time. The stray reluctantly said that he would help.

"What should I do?" asked Mia.

"Use this," said the stray. In his claws he held a screwdriver. Mia groaned.

"That isn't going to work!"

"Did you even try it?" asked the stray.

"No…I don't want to break Zappe," confessed Mia.

"You are correct. There is a 95 percent chance that you would break your summon creature by operating on it," agreed the stray.

"Hey! Then why did you suggest it!" said Mia, not really asking a question.

"Five percent is not as small as it seems…" said the stray.

"Uh…it's still small. I don't have time to waste, I'll have to ask someone else!" Mia turned around quickly.

"Wait! Don't you want to hear about the skeleton? Funny story actually…You should've heard his bones cracking…" said the stray.

"Maybe later," said Mia with a small grin. She went up three floors, used the teleporter, and then found herself at a loss as to what to do. She thought hard, of Zappe, of the skeleton, of the stray, and of her father, Shintetsu. "(What would you do, father…)" Mia thought till she could see his face in her head. And then she saw an image of him holding a screwdriver.

Sighing, Mia went to her workshop and looked for a screwdriver. Then she went to hunt down Varil in order to operate on Zappe.

------------------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------------------

"Varil! Thanks for taking care of Zappe!" exclaimed Mia brightly. Zappe lay on the ground of the port (They were there for no particular reason), having lost the ability to float. "Oh no…Zappe got worse…"

"Yeah…" agreed Varil.

"zzz…" said Zappe.

Mia's eyes glinted dangerously. "Oh don't worry Zappe. I'll get you all better. Hey, Varil. Do you see any screws?"

Zappe willed itself to move, but to no avail.

"Yeah, right there. You're not seriously…?" asked Varil.

"Oh I am. Get ready, Zappe…!" said Mia. Soon, it was like Zappe was either dead or in a deep sleep. Except that its parts were all over the port.

"Uuuuuhhhhhh…." Mia stared at the parts hopelessly.

"Hm. This part is dented. That doesn't look right," said Varil, ever observant.

"You're right! How do we un-dent it?" asked Mia.

"Stupid! This is a common part. We just need to match it with a part that's the same size. I'm sure you can figure it out. I don't have time to waste on losers like you…" said Varil. He stood.

"Varil! Pleeaaaase," whined Mia. "I can't do this on my own…!"

Varil smirked. "Not smart enough?"

"Yeah I can't—hey!" Mia made a face. "Just help me, will you? Where am I supposed to find a part like this?"

"Let's think…" Varil feigned thinking really, really hard. "In an industrial city like Wystern where there just _happens_ to be a shop that sells various items used for making weapons, even drills…and _even_ if it weren't on sale, you just _happen_ to be a craftlord and _should_ be able to forge your own part…"

"Okay, okay, I get the idea...! I'll visit the shop…" said Mia grudgingly.

"Don't think too hard now. The shop's that way," said Varil mockingly.

"I know where the shop is! Watch Zappe while I'm gone," said Mia.

"Whatever. Just don't get lost," said Varil, laughing to himself. Mia shot him an annoyed glance and made her way to the store. A half an hour later she emerged, panting.

"I was joking, Mia. You could've asked me for directions," said Varil, amazed at how late she was.

"That's not it! I had to forge my own, and I wanted it _exactly_ right. It wasn't easy…" said Mia defensively.

"Yeah okay. Let's put Zappe back together again," said Varil.

Presently, Varil and Mia tore their eyes away from the mess of parts and looked at each other. Mia spoke first.

"Ummm….and how exactly do we do that?" asked Mia.

Varil shrugged. "The dented part went on top of this one, I think."

"No, it went on top of this one!" argued Mia, holding another piece.

"No, that one fits with this one," Varil said, picking another piece up.

"Are you sure? That doesn't look right," said Mia thoughtfully.

"Hmm…No, the part that used to be dented definitely went with this one," said Varil after a moment's hesitation.

"I hope you're right…" said Mia.

"I am right," said Varil.

Together they went through the rest of the pieces, until Varil put the final piece in place. The process took about two hours. Zappe's eyes lit up when they were done, and Mia sucked in her breath apprehensively.

"Zappe, you okay?" asked Mia.

"zzzzz!" said Zappe.

"ALRIGHT!" Mia cheered. "Thanks Varil!"

"No problem," said Varil.

Suddenly, Sakuro walked in on the scene, with a robed man behind him. "The summoner is here, Mia."

"We don't need him anymore, Master Sakuro. Varil helped me fix Zappe," said Mia, in a relieved tone.

The summoner grumbled. Sakuro gave him an apologetic look. "As long as Zappe's okay."

"Zappe…_do_ you want to go back?" asked Mia slowly.

"zzz…zzzzzz. zzzzzz!" said Zappe.

"I see. Thanks Zappe! I'm glad you don't want to leave me yet," said Mia.

"zzzz!" said Zappe.

"I understand," said Sakuro. "I'll escort the summoner out of Wystern." Sakuro and the summoner left the port.

"Oh no! Razzy's match…I'll be late…Thanks Varil, see you!"

---------------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------------

Sanary gritted her teeth. "Congratulations Razzy. How does it feel to be the Craftlord of Crystal?"

"It feels great! This must be how Tyram felt! Do you think I'll end up a tightwad like Sakuro?" asked Razzy.

"No way!" said Mia. "Only Master Sakuro could pull that off."

"Hehe. I'm glad that Big Sis, Sanary, and so many people came to congratulate me," said Razzy.

"…Of course we did! This is a great party Razzy. I can't wait for dinner," said Mia.

"You're such a pig, Mia!" said Sanary, laughing.

"Hey! Are you calling me fat?" asked Mia.

"And if I am?" challenged Sanary.

"No kidding? Take that back Sanary!" said Mia.

"Okay…Sorry! Geez, Mia, you're not fat…" said Sanary.

"Hehe, Sanary apologized." Mia laughed, as did Razzy.

"Oh? Hey Mia…" said Sanary.

"Yeah?" asked Mia.

"I bet that I can eat more cake than you," said Sanary.

"Don't eat all of it!" protested Razzy.

"Relax!" said Mia. "You're on, Sanary. If you lose, you have to wear your maid outfit and...go to Master Sakuro's house and dance for him, without saying why. And then make curry for him."

Sanary blushed. "WHAT? What kind of bet is that?"

"Are you too scared to do it?" mocked Mia.

"Oh yeah? If YOU lose, YOU can wear the stupid maid outfit, but you have to wait on Varil hand and foot for two full days! And you know how stuck up and rich he is!"

"What? No fair! And you're even more stuck up than Varil!" protested Mia.

"No I'm not! And you can tell Varil all about how you lost!" said Sanary.

"Okay, but you have to kiss Master Sakuro too! On the mouth! Do we have a deal?" challenged Mia.

"Yes, DEAL!" said Sanary with spirit.

"DEAL," echoed Mia.

"Wait…what?" Sanary stared at Mia. "KISS SAKURO? WHAT THE HECK?"

"Heheh."

"You don't have a chance, Mia! If you win, I'll personally strangle you!" threatened Sanary.

End of Chapter Five

_Chatter-with-a-Point:_

_Please vote in your review who should win the bet. If you don't, I'll pick, but you want a say don't you? DON'T YOU? _

_Heh. You know you want to. So vote! If it's a tie, I'll…flip a coin! YEAH._


	6. Chapter 6: All Sanary

_Pointless Chatter: (Evil laugh) The votes were three to two in Sanary's favor, but, since my vote offically ties it AND not to mention my vote counts at least a hundred times more than any one else's, Mia wins! I'm not actually spoiling anything for people who actually reads this section, because I mention who wins in the very first sentence so HA. _

_Yeah, I wouldn't blame anyone for not reading this anymore. It kinda kills brain cells doesn't it? I'm sure I dumbed all the characters down in this enough. And I learned that I absolutely can't write Ureksa...but fear not, I'm playing the game again! (Not that that is going to help) _

_On to the story---_

Chapter Six: All Sanary

"Sanaryyy!" Mia opened the door of Sanary's workshop, which was in the all-too-familiar-even-after-three-years Silver Guild. "Remember our bet?"

Sanary glared at her. "Yeah, yeah. I have to act cute and girly in front of Sakuro, I remember…"

"Oh, you already changed…" A smile played on Mia's lips. "It looks really good on you."

"Shut up Mia!" Sanary tied the bow at the back of her dress in a quick and frustrated manner, while refusing to meet Mia's eyes.

"You know, Sanary, I was thinking…you're not a craftlord," started Mia.

"What's your point?" asked Sanary. Her tone was practically dripping in danger.

"You should _really_ call me Master Mia," continued Mia. That prompted Sanary to chase Mia out of her workshop in rage.

"I'll show YOU who's the master around here!" yelled Sanary.

"Waaaah! I didn't mean it! Sorry!" Mia ran out of the Guild, with Sanary at her heels.

----------------------------------------------Division Claws-------------------------------------

Mia and Sanary fell silent when they _finally_ reached Sakuro's house. Mia's smile kept getting wider, which annoyed Sanary to no end. She also fixed Sanary with a daring look, as if expecting that Sanary would chicken out. If Sanary _did_ just ditch the bet, Mia would make fun of her for years, and would probably even bring Razzy into it, which meant that Sanary wouldn't forget it as long as she lived.

"So…are you going to go in?" asked Mia. Her voice was starting to grate on Sanary's nerves.

"…I'm ignoring you," replied Sanary.

"You're not doing such a great job then," pointed out Mia.

"(Must…not…reply…)…." Sanary opened the door to Sakuro's house, since it's obvious that no one knocks on doors in Lyndbuam, normally. Mia closely followed her. She was struggling to keep the smile on her face just a smile.

"Aren't you…Kouren's sister?" asked Sakuro, a bit surprised. "And Mia? What brings you two here?" It was still early in the morning, and Sakuro hadn't gone to work yet.

"Um…" Sanary looked helplessly at Mia.

"Hehe. Sanary's a great _dance_…er, Master Sakuro," said Mia, putting emphasis on the word 'dance.'

"(I'll KILL Mia for this! I danced for the Deigleyan soldiers, fine, but someone as stiff and boring as Sakuro? WHY?)…Uh…Hehe, yeah, I was going to show you my newest moves." Sanary winked at Sakuro and then started to dance.

"(Wow, she's actually…)" thought Mia.

"(She's really cute, but…why is she dancing in my house in the first place?)" thought Sakuro, with a slight blush.

"(This is stupid)" thought Sanary. She finished dancing. "Master Sakurooo," she called in an overly sweet (and obviously fake) voice. "Would you like some…curry?"

"For breakfast?" asked Sakuro, dumbfounded.

Mia burst out laughing at Sakuro's reaction and started to suffer from Uncontrollable Laughing Syndrome or ULS for short.

"Shut up, Mia," muttered Sanary under her breath. "Um, would you like it for lunch then?"

"Yes, I would like that," said Sakuro. His blush deepened. "(What's with the special treatment?)"

"(Mia, you're as good as dead!)" thought Sanary. "I'll go get the ingredients now…See you later, Master Sakuro." Sanary winked again and left his house. Mia shuffled out behind her.

-------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------------

"Does the curry _have_ to be homemade?" asked Sanary.

"Uh…come to think of it, you might give Sakuro food poisoning," said Mia thoughtfully.

"Hey!"

"You-hahaha-did a great job with-haha-the dancing-hahaha!" laughed Mia.

"SHUT UP!" yelled Sanary.

Mia suffered a laugh attack. "Hehehe, and then you have to kiss him…"

"This is so stupid!" exclaimed Sanary.

"Oh come on, Sanary. You agreed to it," said Mia.

"Hm…Want to up the stakes?" asked Sanary suddenly. She started to smile a bit.

"Huh?"

"I said do you want to up the stakes! Geez, Mia…" muttered Sanary.

"I heard that! What do you mean…?" asked Mia.

"If I can keep this up for an extra day and even make extra curry, then you have to follow up with your side of the bet that I mentioned before!" said Sanary.

"No way! I will _not_ become Varil's servant!" protested Mia.

"What if I threw in 1000 Boam?" asked Sanary.

"Nope," answered Mia.

"2000?"

"Higher."

"4000?"

"5000 Boam or no deal," said Mia.

"Okay then, but…you're going to have to kiss Varil! It's not fair that I have to kiss Sakuro," said Sanary.

"…7000 Boam," said Mia.

"No! 6000!" argued Sanary.

"8000!"

"9000!" said Sanary.

"Deal!"

"Deal!" agreed Sanary. "Hey wait.."

"Hehe!" Mia laughed. "Give me the money after you kiss Sakuro."

"I don't _like_ Sakuro that way, you sick, demented little brat…" said Sanary.

"Hey! That was just mean! Then why do I have to kiss Varil?" asked Mia.

"It's only fair! And at least he's in our _age group_," pointed out Sanary.

"…Sakuro is in your age group," teased Mia.

"I'm not that old!"

"He's not that old either," said Mia.

(Sakuro is probably in his late twenties)

"Ugh, you! He's much older than me anyway! I bet he's ten years older than me!"

"So? In true love age doesn't matter," challenged Mia.

A few seconds later…

"Waaaaah! Aren't you supposed to be buying curry ingredients? Why are you chasing meeee?"

----------------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------

Mia sighed in relief. That was what, the second time she made Sanary mad enough to chase her?

"Hey Mia, remember after you saved me from Parista?"

"Yeah…so?"

"You said that we were going to compete to be the coolest and most beautiful women in Wystern. But you are definitely NOT cool," said Sanary.

"Hey! That was mean!" Mia stuck her tongue at Sanary. "I'm cooler than you!"

"Oh yeah?" Sanary smiled to herself. "Do you want to take a survey?"

"But…but I wasn't even HERE for three whole years! Why would we take a survey?" asked Mia.

"Aha! You think you're going to lose!" Sanary grinned.

"No! But, it's too early for that. We can have a bet later, right? You should REALLY make the curry," said Mia.

"Hm…fine," said Sanary.

---------------------------------------------Division Claws--------------------------------------------

"I have all the ingredients. So, how do I make this?" asked Sanary.

"You have to put in the seafood first…" said Mia.

Everything went well until the very last step.

"What now?" asked Sanary.

"You have to add the most important ingredient. Looove," said Mia.

"Okaay…" Sanary stared at Mia. "What do I do, kiss the ladle?"

"No! Think about Master Sakuro…" said Mia.

"Ugh. Why do I even bother asking you…" muttered Sanary. Instead she thought of an image of herself. "Loove…" She got so into it that she accidentally knocked into the curry pot, and it fell over. Mia stepped back quickly before it splattered over her, and Sanary did the same.

"Um…Plan B? I'll go buy the curry," said Mia.

"Can I go buy the curry and you clean this up?" asked Sanary.

"No! It was your fault anyway. _I'm_ buying the curry!" said Mia.

Sanary sighed and stared at the mess on Sakuro's floor.

----------------------------------------------Division Claws-------------------------------------------

"Pata nahin," said Mia.

"What's that? You want to pay _double_?" asked the guy who sells curry. He knew that what Mia said did not mean that, but he misinterpreted it on purpose.

Mia shook her head no, but the curry guy just smiled. He told her the new price, and she decided to have Sakuro charged for it.

---------------------------------------Division Claws------------------------------------------

"Mia! You're back!" said Sanary. The kitchen was even messier than when Mia had left.

"Uh…Sanary, what did you do?" asked Mia.

"I summoned my summon creature and it sprayed water everywhere. Is there a problem?" challenged Sanary.

"Um…It's kind of, wet here," said Mia.

Sanary summoned her summon creature again which immediately burst into flames. When it was done, there were scorch marks all over the kitchen, and it was black in some places. Sanary began to organize things a little, and then rinsed the blackened pot. She dumped the curry that Mia bought into it.

Mia shrugged at the new state of the kitchen. Sakuro was going to have MAJOR expenses because of their bet.


	7. Chapter 7: All Sanary Part II

_Pointless Chatter: Ugh, I shouldn't be updating so much. It's unhealthy. This reminds me in some far-fetched way about when I was talking to my friend before going home from school. She was saying how me and my friend (My friend and I?) were obsessed with socks. And then she said that we worshipped them, which I denied and said that we don't worship them, we wear them! And then after that I said that they're part of our soooulls. Socks. They're so awesome. You can never have to many of them! Um, yeah. And Summon Night relates to socks. TOTALLY. _

Chapter Seven: All Sanary Part Two

"Here's the curry, Master Sakuro…" said Sanary sweetly, placing the large pot in front of Sakuro. He was in the ceremony hall, where he really _shouldn't_ be having curry. He blushed when he saw it, because if there was one thing that he loved in the world, it was curry.

"Thank you, Sanary," said Sakuro.

Mia's heart skipped a beat. Would he notice that it was store-bought? After all, wasn't he a regular customer?

"Mmm, this is delicious! It tastes just like how the restaurant would make it," complimented Sakuro.

Mia and Sanary exchanged glances.

"Thank you, Master Sakuro. I tried my best," said Sanary.

"You're a really good cook," said Sakuro.

"(I wonder if he'll think the same way when he sees his kitchen…)" thought Mia.

"Hee…I'm glad you like it!" said Sanary.

---------------------------------------Division Claws--------------------------------------

"What a day, Zappe. Can you believe Sanary is actually doing all of this?" asked Mia.

"Zzzzz," said Zappe.

"I know you weren't there! But still…" muttered Mia. "She's going to kiss Master Sakuro tomorrow."

"Zzz?" asked Zappe.

"Yeah, I'll be there…Do you want to come?" asked Mia.

"zz!" said Zappe.

"Hehe. I'm exhausted. I'll take a walk before I go to bed…" said Mia. "I guess I'll go to the park today."

"Zzzz. Zzzzz!" protested Zappe.

"I know I go there everyday! So what!"

_At the Park…_

"Hey Varil…" said Mia.

"What's up?" asked Varil. "You look preoccupied."

"Um…(I can't tell him anything…I have to be his servant for 9000 Boam…hehe, Sanary always gets the worse end of the deal) Nothing…" said Mia.

"Whatever," Varil could tell she was lying. "Did you know that Sakuro is asking for work on his kitchen?"

"What? Where did you hear that?" asked Mia, surprised. A smile was forcing its way onto her features.

"You're forgetting that I'm the eldest son of the Gold Guild," said Varil with pride.

"But, Sakuro, wha…hahaha!" Mia's ULS came back. Yes, she was having another laugh attack.

"You know something about this?" asked Varil, judging from her reaction.

"S-sort of," said Mia in between laughs.

Varil frowned. "I don't know many details on this. I heard that Sanary was…cooking for him?" He looked at Mia questioningly, who started laughing even harder. After about a minute, Varil angrily told her to stop laughing.

"Sorry…" murmured Mia.

"What do you know?" demanded Varil.

"Um…nothing," said Mia.

Varil glared at her. "Yeah, right."

"Hehe. I'll tell you the day after tomorrow," said Mia. "Good night!"

"'Night…" muttered Varil, as Mia left to her workshop.

_The following day…… (IN ITALICS!)_

"Mia! Get up!" ordered Sanary. She let herself in Mia's workshop, where the only occupant rolled over feebly.

"In a minute, Mother…" murmured Mia.

"IT'S ME, SANARY!" yelled Sanary impatiently.

"Huh….Sanary….?" murmured Mia, opening her eyes slightly. She suddenly noticed the redhead and sat up quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"Wanted to know if you wanted to have tea with me—_what do you think I'm doing here?_" asked Sanary angrily.

"Um…Can you come back in an hour or so? Maybe…tomorrow?" asked Mia sleepily.

"No! You have to help me make some curry! It's almost noon!" exclaimed Sanary.

"Really…I hadn't…noticed…" Mia closed her eyes.

"MIA!" yelled Sanary.

"_What?_" asked Mia, annoyed.

"It's NOON. I have to make curry for Sakuro!"

"You seem excited…" said Mia tiredly.

"Yeah? Well if you don't help me out, you're going to pay ME the 9000 Boam!" threatened Sanary.

"Oh fine…" Mia rolled over once again, and succeeded in falling off the bed. "Ow…"

"Mia, hurry up!" said Sanary loudly.

"Ugh…"

------------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------------

"I already bought a pot on Sakuro's account," announced Sanary. "Now all we have to do is make the curry."

"Can't we just buy it again?" asked Mia.

"No, because then Sakuro might get suspicious…" said Sanary.

"Fine, but let's not do it at his house again," said Mia.

"Then where?" asked Sanary.

"Um…your house maybe?" suggested Mia.

Sanary agreed. Mia helped Sanary so that she wouldn't destroy her own kitchen as well. Then they brought it over to the Ceremony Hall, where a delighted Sakuro awaited his curry.

"But first, before you have it…I wanted to dance for you again, Master Sakuro," said Sanary.

"Go right ahead," said Sakuro, looking at the curry adoringly.

Sanary danced, and ended uncomfortably close to Sakuro, and kissed him like she was supposed to.

Mia cracked up. Sanary took off one of her shoes and threw it at Mia when Sakuro wasn't looking.

Speaking of Sakuro, he looked immensely taken aback. Sanary backed away and said, "Everything from the curry store was Mia's fault! The charges were 15,000 boam. Enjoy the curry, later!" She quickly exited.

"Wh-what? No, I didn't…That's an expensive pot…NO!" stuttered Mia.

"You owe me 15,000 boam," said Sakuro.

"Ugh…I'll give you the money tomorrow…" murmured Mia.

------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------------

"Hahah, got you back," said Sanary, back at Mia's workshop.

"I had to pay 6,000 extra! That was just mean!"

"So? _I_ had fun," said Sanary.

"I'm sure you did. Kissing Sakuro must've been the best thing you ever did," said Mia mockingly.

"Oh shut up!"

"Speaking of that, it looked like you _fell_ on him! Hehehe.." Mia laughed at Sanary's expense.

"Do you want that shoe mark on your face to get deeper?" threatened Sanary.

"Um, no thanks…" said Mia quickly.

"I…did fall on him…but I kissed him to cover it up," admitted Sanary.

"What?" Mia's ULS kicked in once again.

"We'll see who has the last laugh, Mia. Just wait, tomorrow you're going to be Varil's servant," said Sanary before cackling.

"Uh…"

Sanary coughed. "Don't worry, I'll be there to watch Varil make your life miserable!"

"(I have a bad feeling about this…) Whatever! At least I won't almost burn down his house!" commented Mia.

"It was just his kitchen! He didn't even mention it either, weird…" muttered Sanary.

"I bet he was going to have work done on it anyway..." remarked Mia.

"Yeah, maybe. See you tomorrow, Mia. Heheh." Sanary exited.

Mia looked over at Zappe. "You were really quiet today. How come?"

"Zzzz…" said Zappe.

"Anyway—" started Mia, when Sanary came back in. "Huh?"

"I forgot to give you the maid dress. Here!" Sanary handed Mia the dress.

"But…isn't it too big?" asked Mia, looking for excuses.

"You're right, I'm taller than you…you know what this means right?"

"Um…no?"

"We have to go shopping!" stated Sanary. "There's a sale today at the mall…"

"Sales? Yay!" cheered Mia.

"What are you so happy about? All YOU'RE looking for is another dress like this one!" said Sanary. Oh the cruel reality…

"Ugh, fine…"

That night, Mia didn't even bother going to the park. Now that she wasn't even getting paid, the prospect of being Varil's servant seemed worse than it would've been.


	8. Chapter 8: Not Mia's Cup of Tea

_Chatter without a point: After reading this chapter and the next, you'll realize that I can't write Ureksa for my life, nor can I write Mia being Varil's absolute servant. Oh, and...haha, the whole Sanary dating Ureksa thing was just my messed up humor that Pratty saved both of them from Parista so they have a lot in common. They also have Christmas colors! _

_Anyway...I'm having some foot problems...I have a wart on my foot, but it looks white and chalky right now! WHY? Better go put on some more medicine on it, so I'll cut this short...read it, and hope you enjoy! And if you don't...I honestly don't care. (cackle)_

Chapter Eight: Not Mia's Cup of Tea

"Oh Miaaa!" called Sanary annoyingly, just as Mia had done two days before.

"Déjà vu," muttered Mia from inside the workshop. Sanary let herself in.

"Hey! Put on the dress!" ordered Sanary.

"I just woke up!" said Mia defensively. "Can you please get out so that I can change?"

"Oh…" Sanary blushed. "Yeah."

After putting on the infamous dress and ditching the normal headset that she usually wore, Mia left her workshop. Sanary was waiting right near the door, and gasped when she saw Mia's transformation.

"Wow, Mia…I didn't think you could pull it off," said Sanary, amazed. "You look totally cute!"

"What do you mean you thought I couldn't 'pull it off'?" asked Mia, slightly annoyed.

"Hm, nothing. Let's go!" Sanary grabbed Mia's arm, and tried to drag her.

"I don't want tooooo," whined Mia. She knew that she was going to have to anyway, but she wanted to be stubborn till the end.

"I don't care! Let's…go!" Sanary pulled hard, and Mia suddenly stopped resisting, causing both of them to fall forward. Mia only did so because she noticed that Varil (who was the only one who shared the floor with her anyway) had just exited his workshop, was in his pajamas, his hair was rustled, and he looked EXTREMELY annoyed.

"Would you two shut up? There are people trying to sleep at this hour," said Varil angrily.

"(I guess he stays at his workshop sometimes too…must've been forging a lot or something)" thought Mia.

Meanwhile, Sanary laughed. "(His pajamas are white and blue…they match his regular outfit…haha) Varil! Just the person I—_Mia_ wanted to see!"

"What the heck?" interjected Mia.

"Oh, you're going to be around Mia for _two days straight_," said Sanary, as if that was the worst thing imaginable.

"Must you be so stupid this early in the morning?" asked Varil irritably.

"Now you're just ticking me off!" said Sanary loudly. "Listen, you! I'm older than you!"

Mia coughed. "But you're not a craftlord and he is."

Sanary absentmindedly whacked Mia over the head.

"Ha," Varil caught what Mia said. "You don't even belong in this guild. You have no right to talk to me that way."

"I have every right, you brat!" retorted Sanary.

"Oooh, Varil owned you," exclaimed Mia.

Sanary whacked Mia over the head again.

"Stop that! You're killing brain cells!" said Mia.

"And I know you have so few of them," said Sanary smoothly.

"Ugh…" muttered Mia.

"Shut up! What's the point of all this?" asked Varil angrily.

"The point is, because of a bet we had, Mia's going to be your servant for two days," said Sanary. "She has to do _everything_ you say. _Got that, _Mia?"

"Uh…"

"Good luck, Varil," said Sanary. She stuck her nose in the air and made her exit.

"Wait, what are you wearing?" asked Varil suddenly.

"What are _you_ wearing?" countered Mia.

"Hm. I'm not sleepy anymore thanks to that annoying…" Varil started to mutter under his breath. Mia could only catch the words 'middle-class', 'idiot', 'Sanary', and 'practically a peasant'.

"Umm…" There was a small, _very_ small part of Mia that wanted Sanary back because of how awkward the situation was. She knew that Sanary and Varil couldn't stand each other though, so there was no hope of that. But there was _also_ some hope that she could cheat on her bet…

"What?" asked Varil.

"You, uh…heard the bet," stammered Mia.

"Hm?"

"Quote Sanary, 'You can wear the stupid maid outfit, but you have to wait on Varil hand and foot for two full days! And you know how stuck up and rich he is!' or something like that…" said Mia.

Varil raised an eyebrow. "Is this why you were acting so weird the other day?"

"Well, Sanary's part of the bet was a lot funnier you know…" said Mia honestly. "Heheh, those were good times…"

"Tell me about that," said Varil curiously. He walked into his workshop, and Mia hesitantly followed. It was very messy and disorganized. Varil smirked slightly. "You're going to clean that up afterwards."

Mia stared at him, then at the room, and then back at him. She groaned. "Yeah okay…"

"So what exactly happened?" asked Varil.

Mia recapped everything that happened since Razzy's party. She would've even laughed, but Sanary wasn't there so it wasn't _nearly_ as funny.

At any rate, Varil had a very strange impression of Mia and Sanary at this point.

"Did you see Sakuro's kitchen yet?" asked Varil.

"Nope. Oh no! I owe him money…Later Vari—"

"Wait," said Varil.

"Huh?"

"I didn't say you could leave yet," said Varil. He smirked at her.

"(Wow, I don't think I'll ever make a bet with Sanary again. I learned my lesson) Okay. What do you want me to do?" asked Mia.

"Zzz!" said Zappe suddenly.

"Waah! Zappe, you scared me!" exclaimed Mia.

"Zzzz. Zzzz," suggested Zappe.

"Breakfast? You're right, I didn't eat that yet," said Mia thoughtfully.

"Make me breakfast," ordered Varil.

"Whatever. What do you want? I can only make pancakes, French toast, and eggs." Saying those things started to get Mia hungry.

Varil was about to reply, when Mia said loudly, "You'd rather have cold cereal? Okay!" Zappe made a sort of mechanical laughing sound.

"Ha, nice try. I'll take…pancakes. Let's go over to my house," said Varil.

Mia nodded, slightly disappointed.

"And don't worry about the workshop. Nigel will take care of it," added Varil as an afterthought.

"(Poor Nigel…I bet he has to do this kind of thing all the time. I always thought Varil was neat though…) _Alright_, Zappe! It's a great thing Sanary's wasn't smart enough to make me _her_ servant!"

"Zzzzz," said Zappe.

"That would be pathetic. She isn't even a craftlord like me," remarked Varil.

"Heheh, I'll still be the coolest woman in Wystern even if I have to do this!" said Mia, more to herself than anything else.

"You go on thinking that," said Varil.

"Hey Varil…" Mia suddenly looked a bit scared. "You're not going to…tell Nigel about this will you? He'll tell all of Wystern!"

"Good idea, Mia," said Varil, smirking.

"Ugh!"

"Wait outside. I'll come out in a minute," said Varil.

----------------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------

"(I feel like an idiot…)," whispered Mia.

"(Zzz zzz zzz)," answered Zappe.

"(No I'm not!)"

"(Zzzzz)"

"You're mean Zappe!" exclaimed Mia.

"Zz?"

"You would be antisocial if it weren't for me!"

"Zzzzz! Zzzzz!"

"That DID make sense!"

"Zzzz…."

"Shut up Zappe!"

"Hey Mia. Having issues with your summon creature?" asked Varil. He had changed out of his pajamas and combed his hair too.

"It's not me! Zappe has issues!" exclaimed Mia.

"Zzzz!" replied Zappe indignantly.

"Were you this mean to my father?" asked Mia curiously.

"Zzzz……zzz," said Zappe.

"What do you mean it brings back bad memories! How do you think _I_ feel then!" shot back Mia.

"Mia? I want my breakfast," said Varil irritably.

"Oh. Hehe, sorry. Let's go," said Mia.

"Zzzzz!"

Mia gasped, her face turning red. "You…didn't just say that…Zappe!"

"Zzzz,"

Mia ignored her summon creature. She started to walk in the direction of Varil's house, with Varil at her side.

---------------------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------

Varil sat at his dining table, while Mia went into the abnormally large kitchen. She found a pan and started to make the pancakes. Since she wasn't as useless as Sanary, she didn't mess anything up. She had to go to Varil to ask him where the milk was, however.

"Ask Nigel," said Varil. He gave off the impression that he had no idea where _anything_ was in the kitchen.

"But…where is Nigel?" asked Mia.

Varil shrugged. "At this time he should be with my father at the Gold Guild."

"I'll look for the milk myself…" murmured Mia. She headed back to the kitchen and glanced nervously at the three big fridges lined up against the wall. After a few minutes of quick searching, she found it in the second fridge. She then served Varil (and herself) pancakes and milk.

"These are better than Nigel's…!" said Varil, surprised.

"Really? (Wow! I rock!)"

"Yeah..." Varil fell silent as he sampled more of Mia's cooking. Mia, meanwhile, started to fidget. Her dress was really itchy where the tag was…Soon she noticed that Sanary had stuck a note into her dress, and she pulled it out.

_Mia,_

_Guess what? I probably won't be able to stick around today because I have a date with Ureksa…You would be surprised how much we have in common! Later! I might be there tomorrow, so you can't get out of your bet._

_-Sanary_

"Sanary's dating Ureksa?" asked Mia, surprised.

"Yeah, for about a year now," Varil informed her.

"Heheh, so much in common huh? Like being possessed by Parista maybe…And being saved by me," remarked Mia. She took a bite of her pancakes.

Varil continued eating the pancakes, having no real interest in Sanary's love life, and only wondering if Mia could make something good for lunch.

-----------------------------------------------Division Claws------------------------------------------

It was around noon, and Mia had followed stupid and pointless orders from Varil since breakfast. She even had to give him a massage! Varil stopped with most of the orders when he realized that it would be lunch.

"What are you making?" asked Varil.

"Um…"

"Zzzzz! Zzzzzzz zzzzzz" said Zappe.

"I knew I could count on you Zappe! I'll make chicken parmesan," said Mia.

"How do you know how to make _that_?" asked Varil curiously.

"Oh, a retired craftknight taught me when I got him medicine for his sick cat once," answered Mia.

The doorbell rang. Varil then said two words, "Get that."

Mia grudgingly obliged. Sanary and Ureksa were at the door, much to her displeasure.

"Mia, what's with that face?" asked Sanary, annoyed.

"Hello Ureksa," said Mia, ignoring Sanary.

(Ureksa should be about two-three years older than Sanary)

"Hello…"

"What are you doing here…?" asked Mia.

"I had to check on you! Looks like you didn't try to cheat. Do you want to have lunch here Ureksa?" asked Sanary.

"Sure."

"HEY! But I'm making lunch!" protested Mia.

"I don't see a problem," said Sanary.

"I have to follow Varil's orders, not yours," pointed out Mia.

"Hmm? I'll just have to get myself invited then," said Sanary.

--------------------------------------------Division Claws--------------------------------------

"No," said Varil.

"What? Why not?" asked Sanary.

"I don't like you," stated Varil.

"HAHA," laughed Mia.

"Shut up, you! But, Varil…we would be working Mia harder! Isn't that better?" asked Sanary sweetly.

"I also heard that Mia is quite the chef," said Ureksa.

"Hm…" Varil thought it over. "Fine."

"What? No…" Mia groaned.

"Get cooking, Mia!" Sanary laughed at her. "I _told_ you I'd get the last laugh!"

"Oh yeah? I'll get you back Sanary!"

"You better not put anything weird in my food!"

-----------------------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------------

"If I wasn't being so used, I might've liked this…" murmured Mia to herself. She served Sanary, Ureksa, and Varil the food and took a seat.

"I thought you were lying when you said that Mia was a good cook, Sanary," said Ureksa.

"_Hey!_ I'm right here!" said Mia indignantly.

"Actually for some reason that's one of the only things she's good at," said Sanary.

"Ugh, guys…"

"And that dress looks so great on her!" said Sanary evilly.

"You know what? You looked better with this dress!" retorted Mia.

Varil smirked. "No, I think you do."

For some reason, Mia blushed. "I know, I look amazing…"

Varil and Sanary exchanged glances.

"Your ego seemed to have enlarged while you were gone," commented Ureksa.

"Shouldn't you be in Vance?" replied Mia.

"No, because he's with me…" said Sanary, with a tinge of red on her face.

Mia coughed. "So, what do you think of the chicken parmesan?"

"It's good…" said Varil, who couldn't think of an insult to it.

"Delicious," said Ureksa.

"I'm almost jealous," said Sanary.

"Because you couldn't come close to this?" teased Ureksa.

"It's fine. I'm better than Mia at everything else anyway," said Sanary.

"Hey! If I knew you were going to be so annoying about this, I would've brought Razzy to watch you dance for Sakuro, and even…" Mia eyed Ureksa. "_Kiss him_."

"No! I didn't…"

"You kissed…Sakuro?" asked Ureksa.

"Ooh, drama. BURN, Sanary, BURN," said Mia.

"Uh…Mia's lying…" said Sanary unconvincingly.

"It was one of _the_ most romantic things I ever saw…Sakuro was so happy that he didn't even care that Sanary blew up his kitchen! And this happened yesterday!" continued Mia.

"What? Is this true?" asked Ureksa.

"Well…"

"Heheh. Hey Varil, you done?" asked Mia.

"Yes. Wash our plates and then we can leave these two alone," said Varil.

"Oh fine…" Mia was hoping that Varil wouldn't squeeze in another command, but she was wrong.

-------------------------------------Division Claws-------------------------------------------

"Do you think Sanary's mad?" asked Mia. They were in Varil's entertainment room. Libody had his own too, but Varil's was much more…entertaining. Really.

"Probably," Varil shrugged. He honestly didn't care about Sanary. "Help me make a weapon." Since there happened to be a…forge…in the entertainment room…

"Sure! I haven't made a weapon without Zappe in four years…this should be interesting," said Mia. "What are we making?"

"Hmm…knuckles," said Varil.

Mia's eyes widened. "Don't you normally make spears?"

"Yeah, so? We're making knuckles," said Varil firmly.

Together they had enough materials to make the knuckles. And so that they could keep with an unoriginal theme, they named the knuckles 'Via Knuckles'. Via is Varil plus Mia. Fear their creativity!

"These are really light!" said Mia in delight.

Varil looked satisfied. It seemed that he was planning this from before, and knew the effects of when he and Mia combined their efforts into a weapon. Tete and Zappe were left out once again.

"We'll make a whole line of Via weapons. Let's make a spear next," said Varil.

"Okay, but we'll have to go to the Labyrinth soon," said Mia.

"Yeah…" agreed Varil. "But we're doing this for the Gold Guild. Father should be happy."

"Heheh, I didn't do much for the Gold Guild yet…" said Mia guiltily.

"That's fine. You only just came back a few days ago. That three year trip was for the Gold Guild, correct?" asked Varil.

"Oh yeah! Thanks Varil," said Mia, grinning.

"Yeah…" Varil smiled. After making the Via spear, they headed for the Labyrinth. There was no sign of Sanary or Ureksa anywhere. Mia fought back a curious urge to laugh when she noticed their absence.


	9. Chapter 9: Mia's Servitude

_Chatter without a point: Yes, I am aware that I'm one day late. But guess what! Next week I might not post at all. 'Cuz, that's Thanksgiving! Oh, I can't wait for Thansgiving dinner..._

_I also just found out that I might've spent Nigelle's name wrong. It's 'Nigelle' and not 'Nigel' right? But I figured that I recycled the misplaced 'le' at the end of 'Nigelle' with Zappe's name. Someone tell me which is the correct spelling for Nigelle though? It'd be nice.. _

Chapter Nine: Mia's (Sort of) Servitude

"Can we go to Level 60, Varil? There is a stray there who promised to tell me how a guy died in the Labyrinth," said Mia.

"Whatever. Fine," said Varil.

At Level 60, Mia almost tripped over the suspicious bones again, especially since they've been moved from their original spot.

"I've been expecting you," said the stray from before.

"Hi! You promised you'd tell me the story…" said Mia.

"Wait. We came here for materials, remember?" Varil reminded her.

"Pshaw. I can give you all the materials you want! Just listen to my story!" said the stray.

"First tell me what you would give us," said Varil.

"Let's see…I have a Dragonfang ore, a few cooling fans, a bunch of blazing ores, ten conductor rods, and about seven glacier ores," said the stray.

"You're going to let us have all that?" asked Mia in awe.

"Of course! I waited three whole days to tell you this story!" said the stray. "I can get more anytime I want."

"Out with it," said Varil.

"Wait, what's your name? You never told me!" said Mia.

"What's yours?" asked the stray.

"I'm Mia," said Mia. "And that's my eternal rival Varil."

"My name is Bob," said the stray.

"Hm, so what happened?" asked Varil, who hadn't heard of anyone dying down there in his lifetime.

"This happened about fifty years ago. There was a man about…well, older than both of you. He had the strangest eyes, bright orange. He would always wear orange. He was a Craftknight. This was about the time I first entered the Labyrinth. He was searching for materials, when all of a sudden the ceiling on top of him started to cave in. Before he could move, the rocks fell and I could hear his bones crushing. Best sound I've heard in my life. Blood oozed from the cracks of the rocks. Later I dug his body out," said Bob.

"Wow…tell us the part about the cave-in again, Bob?" said Mia.

"Oh, the best part again! The rocks fell and crushed the man's bones. I could hear them cracking, great sound, let me tell you—"

"That's enough," said Varil, a little repulsed. "Give us the materials."

"Here! Visit me again sometime!" called Bob.

"Of course! Do you have another story like that?" asked Mia.

"Yeah. Once I saw a stray summon eating another one. I could hear his teeth gnashing into the very flesh—"

"Come on, Mia," said Varil. His patience was waning.

"Aww…Later, Bob!"

-------------------------------------------Division Claws-------------------------------------------

They went to Varil's workshop this time, and completed the Via Drill, Via Sword, and Via Axe. Varil was using the hammer that Mia gave to him the whole time. Mia was amazed at their products.

"These are some of the best weapons I've ever made…" she breathed.

"Of course. _I_ helped you, so of course they would be better quality," said Varil.

"Hehe."

"Hm…Let's show these weapons to my father.

_Downstairs…_

"What's this? 'Via' weapons? Hahaha!" Libody laughed. "That's the best I've heard in years!"

"What's so funny?" asked Mia, a bit put down.

"You should've been a part of this guild _years_ ago!" exclaimed Libody.

"I haven't seen the young master make weapons with anyone else before but Tete. Mia must be a great friend," said Nigel.

"(Don't say it, Varil…Don't say that I'm your servant for two days…)" thought Mia.

"Ha…Mia is a great friend…" said Varil, smiling slightly at Mia.

Mia sighed with relief.

"But, she's my servant right now. She had some kind of…bet with Sanary, Nigel," said Varil.

Mia turned red. "Ugh…"

"I was wondering why you were wearing that dress…" said Libody.

"(I don't know how much of this I can take…) You won't tell anyone will you Nigel?" asked Mia.

"Of course not!" said Nigel, but as Varil and Libody knew him for many years, they knew that he was lying. Thus, Varil and Libody wore knowing smiles.

"That dress becomes you though, Mia," said Nigel. "It's a wonder how Varil chose such a beautiful rival."

"It doesn't make me look fat does it?" asked Mia.

Nigel smiled, quoting Mia in his head. "No, of course not."

"Did you see Sanary by any chance?" asked Mia.

"Yes. She looked like she was crying. Ureksa went back to Vance as well," answered Nigel.

"What? Hahahaha!" Mia suffered through her ULS once again. And then a thought struck her. "Oh no! She'll make my life miserable…"

"Worry about that later. I think I stepped on gum," said Varil, stepping on a piece of gum on the floor on purpose. "Take it off."

"Eww!" Mia backed away from Varil. "(He's not serious?) With what?"

"Don't do it here!" said Libody.

"Affirmative. We're going out, Mia," said Varil.

"Ugh, you…"

"After you're done with my shoe, we'll visit your friend Sanary," said Varil.

Mia's face lit up. She wanted to get back at Sanary as much as Varil liked to see Sanary suffer.

---------------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------------

"I hate gum…" muttered Mia as she disposed of the disposable gloves. Varil put on his shoe again when Mia was done with it.

"Haha. Where do you think Sanary is?" asked Varil.

"Hmm…She would probably be at the undersea observatory. But I'm hungry…do you really want to go now?" asked Mia.

"Then make dinner first. We'll eat there," said Varil.

"Fine. What do you want me to make?"

Varil shrugged. "I don't care. Sandwiches?"

"Okay…" Mia walked into the kitchen and soon came out with a bunch of packed sandwiches and the iced tea that she was forced to make earlier. "(Why am I doing this again? Oh yeah, Sanary….)"

"Ready?" asked Varil who was relaxing lazily on the couch. Mia made a face.

"Yes…"

------------------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------------

"Sanary?" asked Mia.

Sanary sniffed. She was watching the fish peacefully. She turned around, and noticed Varil and Mia. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I came to laugh at you," said Varil with honesty.

"We came to have a picnic here…" said Mia.

"H-how romantic," said Sanary, sniffing some more. Then she looked at Mia. "YOU! This is all YOUR fault. You and your STUPID bet!"

"You're right, we should call off the bet!" said Mia quickly.

"No way! Not until you suffer just as much as me!" said Sanary.

"How…? I wasn't dating anyone," said Mia. "You could've told me that you were in a relationship with Ureksa!"

"You would've found out soon enough!" exclaimed Sanary.

"Look on the bright side! Sakuro is still single," said Mia.

Sanary looked homicidal. She soon had Mia running, and she chased her again.

…They soon ended back at the underwater observatory.

"Uh, I made sandwiches…" said Mia carefully.

"Good, I'm hungry. Give me one," said Sanary.

"I can't. Varil, can I give her one?" asked Mia, grinning at Sanary.

"Nope," said Varil who was ignoring them up to this point and was already eating a sandwich.

"Hey! Mia, you seriously crossed the line! Denying a beautiful woman like me dinner…" said Sanary.

"Too bad! Varil said you can't have one!" said Mia.

"If you're going to be this annoying about it…fine Mia, you don't have to be Varil's servant anymore. You win," said Sanary.

"W-what? Are you okay, Sanary?" asked Mia, worriedly.

"No, I am _not_ okay! I was dating Ureksa for a _year!_ And then a stupid bet ruined it all!" said Sanary. She took a sandwich before anyone could protest. "Wow Mia, this wonderful sandwich almost makes up for it all…"

"Uh…"

"You know what! You can stop being Varil's servant after you kiss him! And then we won't have anymore bets," said Sanary.

"That's not the kind of thing you just SAY Sanary…" muttered Mia.

"…What?" asked Varil, speechless.

"Go on Mia! That little bet with Sakuro ruined everything for me! You didn't have to open your big mouth and tell Ureksa that I kissed him!"

"Haha, but you have to admit that it was pretty funny…" said Mia, backing away from Sanary.

"Grr…"

"If he really loved you, he would come back to you!" tried Mia.

Sanary cracked her knuckles. "You're really asking for it, Mia…"

"I was being honest! Ugh…" Mia took a bite of her sandwich, annoyed. "I can't believe you Sanary, I thought you were stronger than that."

"I…I was, but…a whole _year_ Mia. This must be how Kouren felt…" murmured Sanary.

"I can tell that this story won't be as good as Bob's," muttered Mia.

Sanary sniffed again, remembering Ureksa and all the moments they had together. Mia backed away from her, closer to Varil.

"Kiss Varil and we'll be even!" said Sanary.

"You're a loser Sanary!" Mia exclaimed. "Hehe. Varil said that before. Capital L Looooser!"

"Why you!"

Varil rolled his eyes. "It was much better when I said it."

"Hehe. But so that Sanary doesn't try to kill me…" Mia kissed Varil quickly. They both turned slightly red. It didn't help that Mia obviously liked Varil in that way from before. Sanary looked a bit satisfied, and then started to wail.

"Ureksa used to kiss meeeee," she cried.

"Waah! Sanary's scary! Bye guys!" Mia left. Varil took another sandwich, and then followed her.


	10. Chapter 10: CRASH AND BURN, SANARY!

_Pointless Chatter: I would've liked to have posted this last Saturday, but fanfiction dot net was being mean. Oh well. This chapter's divided up strangely because I wanted to save some parts from the chapter I deleted, so I smushed it all into this one! Also, this would by far make this the most emotional chapter, therefore the stupidest, and now we have an official Varil/Pratty pairing! But they might not stay that way, 'cuz I might feel like doing a soap-opera thing where they get together, break up, get together again, break up, for about a million times. _

Chapter Ten: Getting them back together before Sanary drives them all crazy

"Razzy! I'm glad you could make it!" exclaimed Mia. She was sitting on a newly added bench on the fourth floor of the Central Tower.

"Big Sis! Why'd you call a meeting?" asked Razzy curiously.

"Have you noticed anything…odd about Sanary?" started Mia.

"Not really. I was actually…doing my craftlord duties, Big Sis," said Razzy.

"Hey! But…no one gave me any duties…" said Mia.

"That's because you're never here! I heard a rumor that you were Varil's maid for a day…" said Razzy.

"Uh…heh. That was Sanary's fault…Speaking of Sanary! She's driving me crazy! She's always depressed now," said Mia.

"How long?" asked Razzy, who really had no idea.

"For about two days…but that's two days too many!" exclaimed Mia. When she wasn't forging with Varil, Sanary was there to bug her. Yes, she had started forging with Varil, for the Via weapons had to be mass-produced. They just weren't Via weapons if Varil and Mia didn't forge them. If any of the other Craftknights tried it, they couldn't match the exact quality, and it would end up so much worse that it felt like a different technique, though it was the same.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" asked Razzy.

"I don't think that'll work…She just won't get over Ureksa…(I wasn't even here for a full week and she's acting like I ruined her life…)"

"Ureksa? Did they break up?" asked Razzy.

"Something like that…hehe," said Mia nervously.

"You had something to do with it, didn't you Big Sis!" accused Razzy.

"Heheh, but she got me back for it…I had to pay Sakuro 6,000 boam and even kiss Varil…" murmured Mia.

"What! No one told me anything! Big Sis! What else went on?" asked Razzy.

Mia grinned evilly. "You should've been there, Razzy! Sanary tripped and kissed Sakuro!"

"Is that why Ureksa broke up with her?" Razzy's eyes widened. "But that was an accident!"

"No, we had a bet and she lost so she _had_ to kiss Sakuro…" admitted Mia.

"But didn't she tell Ureksa that?" asked Razzy.

"Um, I told Ureksa that she had a romantic kiss with Sakuro and that they both really enjoyed it…" Mia confessed.

Razzy looked incredulous. "So, Sanary is being weird and it's your fault?"

"Something like that…heheh."

Varil sauntered over from the wall he was leaning on. He was there the whole time, since he was invited to the meeting as well.

"Razzy," said Varil.

"Varil!" Razzy said, surprised. "Do we have a plan on bringing Sanary and Ureksa back together?"

"I was thinking of…kidnapping Ureksa!" announced Mia. She triumphantly held masking tape and rope in her hands, that she had just taken out of her case of weapons that she always carried around with her.

"That obviously won't work…He's the craftlord of Jade," said Varil.

"Not unless we plan it really carefully…I was talking to Bob, and he had the greatest idea…It involved needles and some of Sanary's blood…" said Mia sadistically.

"Bob?" asked Razzy.

"Sanary's blood…?" repeated Varil.

"Bob is a stray summon, Razzy. He tells amazing stories," Mia informed her.

"Yeah, if you're a morbid, demented freak," elaborated Varil.

"What! I'm not morbid…" said Mia defensively. "I just like, stories…"

"Mia's morbid," said Razzy, agreeing with Varil.

"A-anyway, guys! What do you think? We drip some of the needles in some of the fake blood that Bob gave me, and then write a threatening letter to Ureksa saying that it's Sanary's blood, and that she's going to…go…_somewhere_, and if he doesn't come, something might _happen_," said Mia.

"I have a question! How will that make them love each other exactly?" asked Razzy.

"Um…I didn't think that far yet…but if we left Sanary with Bob for a few days I'm sure she'll…" started Mia.

"Or, we can just tell the truth Big Sis!" interrupted Razzy.

"What, that Mia's an idiot?" said Varil.

"Hey! Where did that come from?" asked Mia indignantly.

"Hehe. I'm going to forge a letter from Sanary saying the truth. Later Big Sis!" said Razzy, leaving.

"Razzy, wait! Ugh…can you help me threaten Ureksa, Varil?" asked Mia.

"I kind of wonder how you became a craftlord now…" muttered Varil.

-----------------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------

At Mia's workshop, Mia dumped all of the supplies for her stupid plan on the floor. There were needles, a jar of mysterious blood red liquid, ketchup in case that didn't work, a blunt knife, rope, masking tape, a picture of Sanary, a chocolate bar, a pillow, paper bags, and a Thank-You card.

"Zappe, you'll help too right?" asked Mia.

"Zzzzz!" said Zappe cheerfully.

Mia smiled at Varil. "Thanks for helping out, Varil!"

"I don't have anything else to do…" said Varil, but that wasn't completely true. He really cared about Mia and wanted to help her friends out, even if this wasn't the right way to do it.

"Zzzz?" asked Zappe.

"First we should enforce cruel and unusual punishment!" announced Mia.

"Like?" asked Varil.

"Oh, eating candy in front of him, whacking him with the pillow, acupuncture…" said Mia.

"And disguise ourselves with these paper bags, right?" asked Varil, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes! Zappe, you should write the threatening letter. Let's meet at the port in ten minutes!" said Mia excitedly, missing the sarcasm completely.

"Zzzzzz?" asked Zappe.

"Um…Master Bron didn't say anything about the dent yet…but I still have the key, so…" murmured Mia.

"Ha, are you talking about Bron's ship? He didn't go to the port yet. I'm surprised you still have its key though," said Varil.

----------------------------------------Division Claws--------------------------------------------

They reached Vance in record time, even if the ship looked like it would fall apart. Actually, Varil just took a different ship because he didn't trust it and could just see a disaster happen. (Foreshadowing!)

When they exited their respective ships, Varil refused to wear a paper bag over his head, though Mia wasn't even going to ask. He wasn't really going to 'help' much. He was above this kind of thing, obviously. He did offer to stay nearby in case Mia needed help dragging Ureksa's kidnapped body over to the ship.

_At Ureksa's/Rumari's and Tyram's house:_

Mia and Zappe waited until Rumari and Tyram left to the mall, which was rather convenient. Ureksa was the only one home, and he was busy polishing his lance and didn't seem to be at all concerned about Sanary's wellbeing.

Crawling through an open window and jumping in front of Ureksa seemed to be the most fun option, so that is what they did. Zappe even uttered a "Zzzzzzz! Zzzzzzzzzzz! Zzzzzz!"

"….What?" was all Ureksa could manage to say in the face of this new evil.

Five minutes later, Ureksa was gagged and tied up, and given the Thank-You card to read which was in Zappe's language and impossible for anyone but Mia, Zappe, and the late Shintetsu to decipher. Not to mention that he was tied up, even though he could have easily escaped. He knew exactly who his captors were, since he was warned about this.

Varil strolled over and watched with slight amusement as Ureksa was being dragged back to Bron's falling-apart ship. Actually, maybe that was a bad thing. Ureksa scrutinized him, and then knew that his assumptions were correct.

-----------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------------------

"Almost there Zappe! Wha-What's that sound?" asked Mia. It sounded like water in the ship…that couldn't possibly be good.

"Zzzz!" said Zappe.

"What do we do! A leak? We're going to sink!?" Mia started to panic. Her plan was going to fail because she didn't repair the ship…

"Zzz!" said Zappe calmly.

"You're right! You can float…try contacting Varil! He should already be at the port….Ugh, I can _see_ Wystern already. I can swim but, I don't think I can help Ureksa…" said Mia.

"Zz!" Zappe floated over to the port, which took about five minutes. The ship started to sink rapidly. Ureksa ripped through the ropes that tied him and tore off the gag.

"You could've just…done that?" asked Mia slowly.

"I might have been possessed by Parista once, but I am still the Craftlord of Jade," said Ureksa calmly.

"Oh…hehe…No hard feelings? I'm uh, doing this for Sanary," said Mia.

"I am aware of that…" said Ureksa.

Mia suddenly had a thought. If she had to buy another boat for Bron that would mean that the entire profit she earned from her three year trip would go out the window. She would also not be able to explain it…the only chance she had was if Bron married her mother, and _that_ wasn't going to happen!

"I think we should just swim from here…" said Mia. Ureksa nodded. In ten minutes, they reached the port where Varil was leaning on a crate and Zappe was communing with a stray cat.

Sanary walked into the port casually. She smiled when she saw Ureksa, but it turned quickly into a frown when she spotted Mia. "What did they do, Ureksa?"

"Nothing too far from what you already told me," said Ureksa casually.

"Wait…what?" asked Mia.

"I knew that the perfect plan to get you back was to pretend to break up with Ureksa!" exclaimed Sanary.

"That was all acting? You mean, 'Ureksa used to kiss meeeeeee!'" asked Mia.

Varil suppressed a laugh. That imitation was perfect.

Sanary turned red. "Maybe I overdid it a little! But you totally bought it, and that's what counts!"

"Hm. Recap. What happened when we left you at my house when you two supposedly broke up?" asked Varil.

Sanary shrugged. "I just told Ureksa the truth. I didn't like Sakuro that way, and that Mia has a sick mind."

"Hey!" interjected Mia.

"We agreed to pretend that I left to Vance in anger, and Sanary warned me that Mia would attempt some hare-brained scheme to bring me back," said Ureksa.

"It was not hare-brained! Bob came up with it, not me!" protested Mia.

"I think we all learned something from this!" said Sanary.

"That Mia has a sick and stupid mind?" asked Varil.

"I was going to say that Ureksa and I wouldn't break up for something as stupid as a bet, but yours is better!" exclaimed Sanary.

"Guys…I'm right here…" Mia muttered.

"Hm, did Razzy approach you yet, Sanary?" asked Varil.

"Yeah, she wanted to see if I was as 'broken up' as Mia said I was. I told her the truth too, that I was just playing a trick on Mia," said Sanary.

"Still…" started Mia. "'Ureksa used to kiss meeeeee'?"

"Shut up!" snapped Sanary.

"Heheh, 'We were…going out…for a whole _year! _And you just come and ruined it all! This sandwich is so good that it almost makes up for it all…' What about that? How come you just let me go on the bet?" asked Mia.

"You would definitely believe me if I did that…besides, I was hungry and you wouldn't even give me one stupid sandwich!" said Sanary angrily.

"Yeah but, 'Ureksa used to kiss meeeeeee!'" said Mia once more.

"Ugh! Mia, you're so dead!" Sanary commenced chasing Mia around the port.

---------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------

"Zzzz…." said Zappe.

"I'm really tired today, but…I have to…tell…" Mia trailed off and gulped. She had almost forgotten this in her excitement. Zappe looked puzzled, but didn't question her. Not that it had the chance, for Mia had run off.

_At the park:_

"Hey Mia," said Varil, greeting her. Over the past few days, they've been forging many weapons, and only had about a couple more days to complete the orders for the Via weapons. Mia and Varil were closer than before, and appreciated each other's presence more.

"H-hey Varil," stammered Mia. She was rather red in the face, and she looked over her shoulder as if expecting someone was after her.

"What's happened to you?" asked Varil curiously. "You're acting paranoid."

"Uhh…I just came back from…Is Master Bron behind me?" asked Mia with an icy feeling.

"You would hear him," said Varil matter-of-factly.

"Y-yeah, you're right. He is probably really mad," stuttered Mia.

"What happened? Spit it out!" demanded Varil impatiently.

"I—," started Mia.

"ME PRIVATE SHIP IS SUNK AN' YA LEFT ME A _NOTE_ TO EXPLAIN IT! YER GONNA PAY FOR IT!" yelled Bron at the top of his voice from behind her.

Mia turned around slowly, and shrunk under Bron's glare. "Uh…It was….Sanary's fault?"

"Yer kiddin'….this can't have happened…ta think that Amariss's own _daughter_ destroyed me boat…" muttered Bron.

"I'm…sorry, Master Bron?" tried Mia.

"THAT WON'T WORK!" yelled Bron.

"Waah! What do you want me to do?" Mia jumped at Bron's shout.

"I'll tell ya what ya need to do. Ya need ta buy me another ship, one wit' a forge. Those don't come cheap. I trusted ya, Mia, wit' it, and you sunk it," said Bron, with disappointment etched in his face.

"B-buy you another ship? How much…?" asked Mia. She felt for her wallet, and held it tightly.

"They're expensive. Good luck," said Varil with a smirk.

"You're not helping!" exclaimed Mia.

"Mia, ya should've thought about that before ya set out without repairing me ship. Don't think I didn't know about that. I thought ya were more responsible, but I was wrong," said Bron.

Mia's heart sank. The way he said it made her feel really guilty. "Do I have to buy another one for you? I don't think I can afford it. Isn't there another way…?"

"That ya could make up for it? Of course there is!" Bron suddenly perked up, which scared Mia to no end. She took a few steps back. Varil noticed her reluctance, and looked questioningly at her.

"What…should I do, Master Bron?" asked Mia softly.

"Amariss said that she'd marry me only if you agreed wit' it. I need ya to go to Amariss, and honestly tell her that ya want me as yer new dad. Ya wouldn't mind would ya?" asked Bron.

"Whaaaaat?" Mia stared at Bron. "You proposed?"

"O' course I did! Either ya pay for me new ship, or ya get Amariss to marry me. An' it better be the second one! I'll see ya tomorrow, Mia." Bron lumbered off.

Mia took another step back and fell into the fountain. "I can't…Mother wouldn't…"

"Mia…"

"Varil, did you know anything about this? How long was Master Bron hitting on my mother?" asked Mia.

"Ever since you left," said Varil with a frown. "You should really get up. You'll only catch a cold that way."

Mia backed even further into to the fountain. "I can't believe this! Mother…What should I do, Varil…?"

Varil looked taken aback, not just by the question, but also how helpless Mia looked. "Is it so bad for Bron to become your stepfather? He's wanted this for a long time."

"I know, but…_I_ don't want it. And I thought my mother didn't, either. It's like he's replacing my father, Shintetsu, you know? Soon my mother will probably just forget all about Shintetsu. And then maybe, she might forget about…me." Mia confessed her fears.

"She couldn't forget about you," managed Varil, surprised even further.

"She shouldn't! I got her a slipcover as a present! What kind of mother would do this to me now…" murmured Mia.

"A slipcover?" repeated Varil. He was also trying to change the subject somewhat.

"Yes! It was a two for one sale. They even match. Mother didn't even act like she wanted it…I wonder if she was thinking of Master Bron the whole time!" Mia shivered, and absentmindedly realized that she was wet and cold, but she didn't care.

"Mia! What is wrong with you?" Varil looked stern. He had to bring her back to her senses. "She's your mother! You're just being a coward. You're falling apart just like my father did after my mother died. I thought you were stronger than that…As much as I hate to say it, this must be the first time I've been wrong."

Varil's words hit Mia like a slap. "Y-you're right!"

"What's more, your mother will never forget Shintetsu. No one can. He's a hero, and the legend of Wystern! Didn't you want to be like him? Right now, you're not even close."

"Yeah, I—," started Mia.

"Right, now all you need to do is start crying, and you'll be like a pathetic baby. You'll be a loser, and you'll lose all of my respect. You shouldn't even be my rival, the way you're continuing on."

"Alright, I—"

"And—,"

"Okay, I get it Varil! You don't have to go on!" exclaimed Mia, getting up (though soaking wet) and standing next to Varil again. "And you could've skipped on the insults…"

Varil smirked. "Feeling better?"

"Yes…Thank you Varil. Thanks for everything! You're right about it all. My mother won't forget, and Master Bron wanted this for as long as I could remember. You're a great friend!" exclaimed Mia.

Varil blushed. "That's enough! You can stop now."

"Not too good at compliments now, are we?" teased Mia.

"Shut up!"

"Hehe…I don't know what I'd do if you didn't talk some sense into me! You're the best friend I have, and I love that," said Mia.

"Love…" Varil echoed, his face still tinged with a trace of red.

"Hmm? Love as in a friend! Unless you want more than that," challenged Mia.

"You're teasing me. That wouldn't be so bad though…" said Varil.

"Huuuuh? You didn't say that last time!" replied Mia, thrown off. Mia was referring to the time that Varil dragged her to the Gold Guild so that he could confront his father.

Varil caught her meaning. "Last time we were focusing on the tournament. This is different."

"I guess you're right…" said Mia. She shivered, mentally kicking herself for backing into the fountain. "Zappe, I know you're here…."

"Zzzz!" exclaimed Zappe.

"Can you heat this area up, Zappe? I'm cold," whined Mia.

"Zzz…." Zappe agreed. Soon she felt dry.

"That's better. Thanks Zappe!" said Mia.

"Zzzz! Zzzzzzz!" said Zappe.

"Um, but, Varil's my best _human_ friend. And you're a robot," said Mia.

"Zzzz!" said Zappe.

"I don't care if you find that offensive! Uh, I mean…hehe." Zappe glared at Mia.

"Zzzzz!" exclaimed Zappe.

"Oh, shut up, Zappe! I'm about to have a roma—um, just be quiet Zappe," Mia grinned as if Zappe didn't say anything.

"What do you say, Mia? Are you good enough to be my girlfriend?" asked Varil with a smirk.

"What do you mean, good enough!"

"Zzzzzz!"

"I don't suck, Zappe!" snapped Mia, in response to what Zappe said. "And Varil, bring it on!"

"I expected you to say that. You are my eternal rival after all…"

"Am I so predictable?"

"Zzzz, zzzz, zzzz, zzzzzz!" said Zappe.

"Where the heck did THAT come from, Zappe?" asked Mia, looking at it weirdly.

"What did it say?" asked Varil.

"Um…something like, 'Jab, jab, uppercut, jab!'. Zappe, you're so weird!" commented Mia.

"Z…" said Zappe.

"What? That's what romance is like in your world? But…do robots have romance?" asked Mia.

"Zzzzz," said Zappe.

"…Was that a threat?" asked Mia.

"Z!" answered Zappe.

Mia ignored Zappe. "See you tomorrow, Varil. And…thanks for everything."

Varil sighed as Zappe chased Mia off the premises.

--------------------------------------------------Division Claws-------------------------------

_The Following Morning:_

Mia forced a smile onto her face and wished herself luck. She entered her mother's house (no longer her own house because she never lived there before. It was rebuilt since Wystern had apparently sunk), ready to talk.

"Mia! Long time no see, dear," said Amariss.

"Yeah…" said Mia.

"Is something on your mind? You can tell me," said Amariss kindly.

"Um, mother…(How should I put this…) Do you want to marry Master Bron?" asked Mia. There was no use beating around the bush.

"Oh, found out about that already? I wanted to know your opinion about it first," said Amariss.

"I think you should do it, Mother," answered Mia. She had a mental image of Bron's scary face.

Amariss looked surprised. "Are you sure, dear? You were so opposed to it before."

"That was three years ago, mother! If you want to, you should do it!" said Mia.

Amariss looked at her skeptically. "You're lying. You don't want me to marry Bron."

"What! No! (Darn it…)"

"Yes you are. I told you before that you can't hide anything from me," said Amariss.

"(Mother's being difficult…) I think you're wrong this time, Mother! I _want_ you to marry Bron. Why wouldn't I? You'd be happy…right?"

"Yes…happy," repeated Amariss. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! Why are you asking me anyway?"

"I don't want to do anything that you wouldn't like, dear. But, putting that aside…you've been spending a lot of time with the eldest son of the Gold Guild," said Amariss.

"Yeah, we're forging together…" said Mia, trailing off.

"Really? How cute," commented Amariss. "But that's not what I meant."

"(Wow, she really does know everything…) I'm sorry, Mother, but I have to go now," said Mia, cutting her off.

"Already?" Amariss studied Mia for a minute. "Alright, visit sometime soon Mia!"

------------------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------------

Mia decided to go to the labyrinth to visit Bob, before she had to forge more Via weapons with Varil. It didn't take long to reach him.

"You came back!" said Bob cheerfully. He sounded as if Mia either died or would never visit him again.

"Of course! I wanted to know if you had any more great stories," said Mia.

"I do. Once a man came down to about the seventy second floor, probably so that he could challenge the Inferno Kirin on the bottom. He never made it, though, because there was an earthquake, and a large piece of rock fell on his arm. He couldn't budge it, and he couldn't move from the spot. I watched him for days. He was hungry and thirsty and knew that he couldn't survive attached to the rock. So you know what he did?" asked Bob.

"Died?" guessed Mia.

"Oh, he did die. Just not then. He realized that if he cut his arm off, he would be able to move and get food and water. The only weapon he was carrying with him was a ladle…" Bob paused for dramatic effect.

Mia gasped. "With—with a ladle? Is that possible?"

"Yes, it was. It was amazing. The man knew that if he cut through a certain nerve in his arm, he wouldn't feel any thing else. He cut straight for the entire day, since it was a ladle. I heard the snap when he finally cut through…He screamed so much…it was like music…" Bob looked pleased, and relived the moment in his head. "Afterwards, he cut the rest of his arm off."

"Did…did he make it out of the labyrinth?" asked Mia.

"No. A group of stray summons surrounded him and ate him," said Bob.

"…Ate him? What were you doing the whole time, Bob?" asked Mia. Her expression was a mixture of fascination and horror.

"I was watching. I'll savor that moment forever…" said Bob.

"Wow…" breathed Mia. She felt extremely aware of her arms, and could almost feel them being slowly cut through with a regular ladle. "(This story was a bit too graphic this time…)"

"This happened not too long after I arrived here, actually," said Bob.

"How _did_ you arrive here?" asked Mia curiously.

"…I'll tell you some other time," said Bob cryptically. Mia shrugged

"I just thought of something…what happened to the ladle?" asked Mia.

"That was a clever question," said Bob approvingly. "The ladle, of course, was covered in dry blood by the time the man was done with it. I put it in a chest on the seventy-second floor to protect it and treasure it as a keepsake. I can give it to you if you want…"

"That's okay. Can I see it though?" asked Mia.

"Yes…follow me," said Bob.

-------------------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------------------

"Isn't it beautiful? The blood adds to the texture, and the color makes it an interesting piece," said Bob as if selling something.

"It looks like an Evil Ladle," said Mia, thinking of the Evil Axes, and the Evil Swords, and all the other Evil weapons that would carry Mystic ores.

"Yes. It's the first of its kind," said Bob proudly. "It took a murder to accomplish!"

"Murder? I thought it was an accident," said Mia.

"Oh, ah…I like calling things murders. It makes them more dramatic," said Bob quickly.

"I see…If I fought this ladle, would it produce Mystic ores?" asked Mia.

"Maybe…but I wouldn't recommend it. You would have to fight me first," said Bob in a malevolent voice.

"If you say so, Bob," said Mia. "I don't mind fighting you again, but not now."

"Yes…you're not ready yet…" said Bob quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing!" Bob said quickly.

"Hmm…(Is Bob hiding something? Maybe Kouren knows more about Bob...After all, it was really because of her and Master Rondeau that I met Bob.)"

"I experienced many interesting things…but the creation of Evil and Killer weapons are among the most amazing…" said Bob.

"Creation? I never thought about where they came from," said Mia.

"Oh, the process is unearthly. One could _die_ finding out…" said Bob in that same malevolent voice.

"Whatever, Bob. You're not making any more sense," said Mia.

"That happens when you live in the Labyrinth for fifty years," said Bob. He snapped the chest with the Evil Ladle shut.

"I guess so." Mia began to be painfully aware of her arms again, and how it would feel to constantly attempt to cut through with something like a ladle. "Thanks for the story…I have to go."

"Visit again soon…" said Bob. Then he added, too quietly for Mia to hear, "Those weren't just stories…they happened to even the strongest people…"

"Yes! I'll come back when I can!"


	11. Chapter 11: Bonus: Deleted Chapters?

**The following did NOT happen. They would've, but I rejected these ideas. **

_Pointless Chatter: Thought people would like to see my rejected ideas for the next chapter and a half. But just remember, they didn't happen. You can skip over this section if you want. And just so you know, since I rejected this, it'll take me longer to have my update...hopefully I'll still make it by Saturday._

_Additional Disclaimer: I don't own Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, where the whole play on sarcasm comes from. This includes a lot of play-on-things…heh._

_And! Last chapter included the introduction to the PLOT! GASP. _

Deleted Chapter and a half:

"Razzy, Varil?" Mia looked puzzled. She had expected Nigel to tell her that it was time to forge more Via weapons, but what was Varil _and_ Razzy doing here? She hadn't even stepped two feet away from the entrance of the labyrinth.

"Big Sis! Master Bron's going to get married tomorrow!" announced Razzy.

"WHAT? But, they, huuuuh? No way!" managed Mia.

"Master Bron and your mother got engaged today!" added Razzy.

"How long were they planning this?" asked Mia, considering she talked to Amariss only moments before entering the labyrinth.

"Quite a while," put in Varil.

"Hm? So you're not here to tell me this, are you Varil?" asked Mia.

"No. Today's Nigel's day off," admitted Varil.

"Big Sis! After you're done with your orders for the Gold Guild, we have to get ready for the wedding!" announced Razzy.

"What? But…"

"We'll get my uncle and your mother wedding presents! Can you believe it, Big Sis? We'll really be related! We'll be, uh…cousins or something!" said Razzy excitedly. "And you know what?"

"(I didn't even get a chance to speak yet…)" thought Mia with a smile at Razzy's excitement.

"Sanary's coming too! She says she wants to help you pick out an outfit for tomorrow!" said Razzy.

"Sa-Sanary?" stuttered Mia. "Outfit? (I don't trust Sanary for a second!)"

"You're scared, Mia!" accused Varil, looking at her with his mouth agape.

"You would be too if Sanary was taking you shopping…" murmured Mia, who had already been through the Sanary Shopping Experience once.

"Don't forget, I'll be there too Big Sis! I can't wait for tomorrow! Your mother will be my Aunt!...In law. I'll meet you at the harbor, Big Sis!" Razzy ran out of the room, set on filling out some Craftlord paperwork.

"Are you going to come with us too, Varil? For, uh…wedding presents?" asked Mia.

"I don't need to. My father will take care of it," said Varil, who couldn't care less.

"Aww, but don't you want to make it more personal?" asked Mia, slightly disappointed. "Between you and me, I was going to give them the other slipcover that I bought, so I'm all set…"

Varil looked at her strangely. "Fine, then cut it in half."

"Will do!" Mia shuffled in her weapon case for something sharp. She soon pulled out a spear that was fashioned out of Varil's technique so long ago. The spear tore through the fabric, which apparently she had also been carrying around with her.

"I was joking. What are they going to use that for, o' genius Craftlord of Iron?" mocked Varil.

"Um…What are slipcovers for in the first place?" asked Mia.

"Ha, you're so stupid it's funny," said Varil, suddenly kissing her (The first sign of them being an item that they've shown since the night before). Mia's angry protests were muffled.

------------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------------

"You insulted my intelligence!" exclaimed Mia, hammer in hand. POUND.

"Oh yeah? Is that anything new?" Varil smirked as he hammered his side of the weapon. POUND.

"No, but—hey! Really?" POUND.

Varil smirked wider. "Your intellect astounds me." POUND.

"Yeah well, maybe I like to astound!" retorted Mia as if that was an insult. POUND.

"That was sarcasm! (Sigh…)" POUND.

Mia tossed the weapon aside, while Varil put in new materials for the next one. "I know!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes! And at least I'm not mean like you!" POUND.

"Mean?...You honestly think I'm mean?" asked Varil. POUND.

"Well, we all know that you're the _kindest_ person in Wystern!" said Mia sarcastically. POUND.

Varil smirked. "So you DO know what sarcasm means!" POUND

"Or do I?" asked Mia, grinning. POUND

"…Do you?" asked Varil, confused. POUND

"Hmm, I really _don't_ know. But I just _wish_ I was as great as the Craftlord of _Amber. He_ would know what sarcasm is," said Mia. POUND.

"I do know what it is, and you're doing it," said Varil. He made way for the next weapon, while Mia put in the materials in the forge.

"But I don't know what it is!" whined Mia. POUND.

Varil looked at her questioningly. "When you say something and mean something else." POUND.

"I mean everything I say," said Mia matter-of-factly. POUND.

Varil sighed. He couldn't tell whether Mia was teasing him or not. "No you don't." POUND.

"_Why_ of course I do!" POUND.

"When you use that tone, you're being sarcastic," said Varil calmly. POUND.

"But I meant it! You said that when I don't mean something that I say it's sarcasm!" said Mia. POUND.

"(She really doesn't know…) Try it then," said Varil. POUND.

"I _love_ you, Varil," said Mia, grinning. POUND.

Varil suddenly had an urge to throw something at her, or at least jab her with his spear. "That was sarcasm wasn't it?" POUND.

"Do you think so?" asked Mia. POUND.

"I do. I was right, you do know how to do sarcasm. You do it all the time!" said Varil. POUND.

"What? No I don't! _Never!_ Sarcasm? Why would I do that?" denied Mia. New weapon.

"No, you're right. _Of course_ you wouldn't," said Varil sarcastically. POUND.

"Huh?" asked Mia, clueless. POUND.

Varil was starting to get irritated. "I was being sarcastic!" POUND.

"Oh _really?_" asked Mia. POUND.

"You did it again…" muttered Varil. POUND.

"You mean, be _sarcastic_?" asked Mia in that sarcastic tone again. POUND.

By now, Varil couldn't tell what was sarcasm anymore. "You know what? Forget it.' POUND.

"Okay, I'll just forget everything you told me about sarcasm," said Mia. POUND.

Varil glared at her. "You do that." POUND.

"I certainly _will_," said Mia. New weapon.

"You won't remember?" asked Varil. POUND

"Won't I?" POUND

"Apparently not." POUND

"Not apparently." POUND

"You're not being…?" POUND.

"I am." POUND

"You are!" POUND.

"Right." POUND

"What?" New weapon.

"Oh, so this is sarcasm? Ha, this is so easy! I do it all the time!" exclaimed Mia. POUND

"Hmm….." POUND

----------------------------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------

"Finally, Big Sis…you always take such a long time…" commented Razzy.

"Yeah. What were you DOING?" asked Sanary, who looked like she was going to kill someone. Waiting was not exactly her pastime, and it seemed to get worse over the years.

"Ummm…" Mia blushed, deciding not to share that.

"Ooh, Big Sis has a secret!" Razzy said gleefully.

"No I don't!"

"Spill it, Mia!" ordered Sanary.

"_Master_ Mia, Sanary," said Mia with a grin.

"I'll ignore that if you tell us what happened!" said Sanary.

"Nothing happened!" exclaimed Mia.

"Then…why are you all red, Big Sis?" asked Razzy.

"I have…sensitive skin?" said Mia.

"Pfft, yeah right. Either you tell us what happened or…" started Sanary.

"Or we'll give you a Sanary Makeover!" finished Razzy. They both cackled.

"Oh my newly gained sarcastic abilities!" gasped Mia. "You're poisoning Razzy's innocent mind!"

"Innocent?" Sanary snorted.

"Poisoning?" repeated Razzy. "No way! She gave me a Sanary Makeover before. It's not fun, Big Sis…"

"Then why do you want ME to do it?" asked Mia.

"I want to know why you were so late!" pointed out Razzy.

"Oh…" muttered Mia.

"So tell us already!" demanded Sanary. "And it better be worth all this drama!"

"Oh, I basically drank some Silturn Water, kissed Varil, had a chat with Zappe, tripped down some stairs, ate a little curry, and then came here," said Mia quickly.

"Wait, back up. What was that before eating curry?" asked Sanary.

"I drank Silturn Water," answered Mia.

"No, after that," said Razzy.

"I tripped down some stairs."

"Before that!"

"I had a chat with Zappe."

"Ugh, you're impossible Mia! What was that about Varil?" asked Sanary.

"Hmm? Can't remember," said Mia with a sly smile.

"Big Sis and Varil are an item?" asked Razzy with her eyes wide.

"I didn't know you were into rich, stuck-up, arrogant, egotistical, and obnoxious guys like _him_," said Sanary nastily.

"That's a lot of adjectives in one sentence…" commented Mia.

"I'm glad you know your grammar, Mia," retorted Sanary.

"Me too, Sanary, me too," said Mia.

"Guys? We should go before the store closes," interrupted Razzy.

"Oh right! Mia, you're telling us all the details while we're out!" said Sanary.

"What details?"

"You know, Big Sis…how long you guys have been going out, how this started," said Razzy.

"Come to think of it, Mia, you've only been back for about a week…you must have amazing people skills," commented Sanary.

-----------------------------------------------Division Claws------------------------------------------

"Wait, but where…" asked Mia, staring at Sanary helplessly as she dragged her and Razzy along.

"Sanary Makeover! As promised!" exclaimed Sanary cheerfully, dragging them along to where all the dresses were sold.

Mia gulped. "But I told you everything! Varil's my boyfriend as of last night! That's it! Come on, Sanary…"

"I know, but you guys can't go to the wedding wearing whatever you want to! And I know that both of you will try to wear the outfits you're wearing now!" accused Sanary.

"What's wrong with that, Sanary?" asked Razzy innocently.

"Have you two NEVER been to a wedding before?" asked Sanary, her voice rising.

Razzy and Mia exchanged glances.

"Not really…" muttered Mia.

"I should've known…Listen, then you two are going to need my help! No complaining or you'll get what's coming to you!" Sanary threatened.

"Big Sis…" whispered Razzy. "I'm holding my present and you said you got yours already…do you want to make a run for it? We can do it as soon as she lets go."

Mia nodded mutely.

"_What are you guys whispering about?_" snapped Sanary.

"Nothing, mother," said Mia loudly, earning a whack on her head.

"I think that Razzy should get a yellow dress…" said Sanary, letting go of Mia and Razzy as soon as they were surrounded by dresses. Razzy signaled at Mia, and they both ran. Due to their high agility, especially as knuckle users, they left Sanary in their dust.

"WAIT UP GUYS! RAZZY, MIA, YOU TWO ARE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME? _DEAD!_" Sanary waved a fist as them, but they were too far away to hear anything…

-----------------------------------------Division Claws------------------------------------------------

"We have to avoid Sanary tomorrow at the wedding," said Mia, at the port in Wystern. She and Razzy sat on crates, resting after their run.

"Yeah. I have an idea Big Sis! Let's make up a signal! When I see Sanary coming near you, I'll signal, and when you see Sanary coming near me, you'll signal!" said Razzy.

"Great! But…what should be our signal?"

"What about this?" Razzy pretended to slit her throat with her finger.

Mia shivered. "That works. So what are you wearing tomorrow?"

Razzy smiled evilly, clearly thinking of what Sanary would say. "This. What about you?"

"I'm with you, Razzy!" Mia exclaimed, looking down at her outfit and smiling proudly at herself. "Sanary's going to flip."

"Yeah," agreed Razzy.

"You know what would make her even…angrier?" asked Mia.

"What, Big Sis? You're not thinking of…"

"Yup. If she wears the maid dress again. And that only means…" Mia paused for dramatic effect. Then…

Mia and Razzy both chorused, "_Sabotage_."

Chapter Twelve: In which Signaling is Imminent (Deleted/discontinued)

Razzy and Mia were not the only ones at the party who clearly were too lazy to dress up. Sakuro looked the same no matter what, and so did Rondeau and Ureksa. Varil and his father, however, took pride in looking good all the time, no matter what, and were dressed in some of their finest.

And then there was Sanary.

She entered the ceremony hall, eyes wild, looking like a maniac. She was in her maid dress, and she searched the citizens of Wystern for two people. Where were they?

Meanwhile, Razzy and Mia were making frantic signals at each other, and darting deeper into the crowd of people, hoping to blend in. What didn't go for them was that their ordinary and casual clothing did not match with most of the fancy clothing for the people who actually bothered to dress for the occasion.

"R-Razzy! Do you think she knows that it was us?" asked Mia.

"She knows…but maybe she thinks it's just you, Big Sis?" said Razzy hopefully.

"I don't think so…after all, we _both_ ditched her at the store," said Mia. Sanary loomed ever closer, and Mia made another signal.

"Master Mia!" exclaimed Trish, now a craftknight but before an apprentice three years back at the Silver Guild.

"Wha—oh, hello Trish," said Mia hastily. She could see Sanary shoving people out of her way.

"I didn't see you in a long time! Ever since you said quickly that you were leaving the Silver Guild," continued Trish.

"Yeah…so how is everything? And what about Ariel and Mariel, and Cazio?" asked Mia quickly. Razzy, now at the other side of the room rushing for her own personal safety, kept on giving Mia signals while conversing with Varil.

"Ariel and Mariel are right over there, so you can talk to them yourself. Cazio's here too. Do you know when the wedding is going to start? I can't believe your own mother is getting married!" exclaimed Trish.

"Yeah…it was really, uh, sudden," said Mia. "I hope the wedding starts soon…" She glanced helplessly in Sanary's direction.

Trish didn't catch her meaning. "Oh, you're probably really excited!"

"You can say that…I'll go ask someone when it's going to start," said Mia. Trish nodded, and went to get a drink. Mia made her way over to Razzy and Varil.

Meanwhile…

"Miss, can you get me a drink?" asked a random citizen of Wystern.

"Hm? Oh sure," said Sanary, stopping her hand quickly before she shoved him away. She handed him the drink, when another random citizen called for her attention.

"Can I have a drink too?" asked the other random citizen.

Sanary nodded, absentmindedly handing the other random citizen a glass. Finally, yet another random citizen of Wystern flagged Sanary down.

"Waitress! Get me a drink!" This random citizen seemed rather rude.

"Wait, WHAT?" yelled Sanary. "I'M NOT A WAITRESS!"

A waitress poked her. "Shush! Do your job, or our manager will fire you!"

"No way!I'm not even a waitress!" protested Sanary.

"Oh please," scoffed the _real_ waitress. "You're being a total drama queen. I know this job sucks, but you applied for it just like I did!"

"No I didn't! I told you, I do _not_ work here!" said Sanary, losing patience.

"Then care to explain why you're wearing the uniform?" It was true, they were practically wearing the same outfit.

"I was tricked by my loser-so-called-friends! Both of which are craftlords and should know better!" exclaimed Sanary.

The waitress gasped, and nearly dropped the stack of plates she was holding. "Really! Which craftlords?"

Sanary looked amused, thinking that she finally had some dirt on Mia especially. "Oh you know…maybe I shouldn't say…"

"Please tell me! I'll even cover for you, if our manager asks!" exclaimed the waitress.

Sanary gritted her teeth. "I'll you for the last time, I—do—not—work—here!"

"Whatever," said the waitress, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway…" Sanary lowered her voice. "The Craftlord of Iron…she's a real idiot, betraying her best friend like this! She slashed—yeah, slashed!—all of my other clothes, so I was forced to wear this! _And_, get this…she did this with the Craftlord of Crystal!"

The waitress gasped, and said "Gasp" for good measure.

"I bet they snuck in while I was asleep…can you believe it?" said Sanary conversationally.

"I can't! But I'm going to tell everyone I know anyway!" said the waitress, still appalled.

"You do that! Make sure you tell everyone you serve! And tell them that—I'M NOT A WAITRESS, DON'T BOTHER ME!" Sanary exploded at the poor random citizen of Wystern who tugged at her dress.

---------------------------------------------Division Claws-------------------------------------------

Soon the whole ceremony hall was abuzz with Mia's and Razzy's antics. BUSTED. Just when Bron and Amariss were ready to exchange their vows and start the ceremony, one random citizen of Wystern gave a sort of war cry and everyone exited the hall save for Amariss, Bron, Libody, Varil, Sakuro—basically everyone who was in the game.

"Where did everyone go?" asked Amariss, staring straight at Mia.

"Um…are you saying that this is my fault, Mother?" asked Mia. She felt slightly scared. Sanary knew EXACTLY where she and Razzy were, since there weren't too many people in the hall anymore.

There was an awkward silence as everyone in the room stared at each other blankly, until…

The random citizens of Wystern returned, each holding a large pitchfork.

"What the heck?" stammered Mia, stunned.

"Big Sis, they're coming right at us!" exclaimed Razzy.

"Wait, at us? Aren't we supposed to be celebrating a wedding?" Mia was actually looking forward to the wedding now, especially because it seemed that she would be poked endlessly with pitchforks. "(This must be divine punishment for eating Father's slice of cake ten years ago...)"

"We were _supposed_ to…" said Amariss, bewildered at the crowd's behavior.

"Iron and Crystal were planning on murdering the redheaded waitress!" exclaimed one random person in the mob.

"I'M NOT A WAITRESS!" shrieked Sanary.

"They ate all her other dresses!" exclaimed another one.

"They poured SALT all over her while she was sleeping!" exclaimed yet another one.

"And then they died her hair PURPLE," said another one. They all gasped, even though it was obvious that Sanary was still a redhead.

"Razzy! I know what to do in this situation!" exclaimed Mia.

"They're doomed," muttered Varil.

"What, Big Sis? Hurry!" The crowd closed in on Mia and Razzy.

"We use…mob psychology!"

"Uh…how?" asked Razzy.

"But do you know what SANARY did?" asked Mia loudly. "Once she ate curry…with _ketchup_."

The crowd gasped even harder than before. Then one of them shouted, "What an injustice to curry!" And they proceeded to chase Sanary out of the ceremony hall.

"You saved us, Big Sis!" said Razzy with a big smile on her face. "I'm so glad that we're going to get related soon!"

"Why did ya two have to do that?" asked Bron irritably. "You chased all our guests out!"

"Sorry…" chorused Mia and Razzy.

---------------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------

After that lesson in how rumors suck, everyone in the crazed mob entered the ceremony hall (but Sanary was nowhere to be seen) still somehow managing to look neat and orderly. Ureksa seemed to have slipped out, probably to comfort his society-rejected girlfriend.

"Can we begin now? I can't wait to be married to you, Bron…" said Amariss with a smile.

"Yeah, I can't wait either," said Bron. Sakuro did the honors and married them together, while Mia and Razzy pondered a great question in life and more or less ignored them.

"What's on your mind?" asked Varil, once the ceremony was over and dinner began.

"I was just wondering why everyone in Wystern has a pitchfork…" Mia mused, looking down at her plate of seafood curry.

"I was thinking of the same thing!" said Razzy.

"Is that all? There was a sale the other day, selling numerous amounts of useless items. People buy those kinds of things," said Varil with a shrug.

"I think everyone was being really weird today," said Razzy. "It must be because of Sanary."

Mia cracked up. "Yeah. Seeing Sanary was mentally damaging."

"Hehehehaha!" Razzy and Mia's ULS disease kicked in. It must be contagious because Razzy didn't have it before.

"Hah…it wasn't that funny," Varil sighed while Razzy and Mia rolled on the floor. It was probably a good thing that they didn't dress up.

They only stopped laughing at Sanary (and her disappearance) when everyone began dancing, as was customary for Wystern weddings. Varil asked Mia if she wanted to dance, which she didn't because she couldn't dance to save her life but didn't want to show it, and she agreed. As soon as they were about to begin, Razzy began to pout.

"Not fair…" muttered Razzy.

"What's wrong, Razzy?" asked Mia.

"I don't have a dance partner!" announced Razzy, getting straight to the point.

"She has a point there," said Varil.

"Um…Can you dance?" asked Mia.

"Yeah. My mom taught me to, when she was trying to get me to act more like a girl and learn etiquette, manners, and stuff like that," admitted Razzy.

"(I'm the only one who can't do this? Darn it…)" thought Mia. "I don't really uh, care for dancing. Why don't you just dance with Varil?"

Varil smirked. "Why, can't dance?"

"What makes you say that!" snapped Mia, a little too quickly.

"Big Sis, if you can dance prove it to us!" said Razzy.

"_Fine_, I will!" Mia stuck her head in the air and tripped over her feet, falling over Varil who had no intention of catching her. She fell flat on her face. Her voice was muffled when she said, "Some boyfriend you are…"

"Haha, you're actually just uncoordinated aren't you?" remarked Varil.

"That's not nice, Varil!" reprimanded Razzy. "Big Sis, you're just really clumsy, awkward, and ungraceful!"

"That was even meaner, Razzy…" muttered Mia. She dragged herself up and grudgingly looked Varil in the eye. "Are we going to dance now?"

"Sure we are," said Varil with a smirk. The dance in question was a waltz, since Wysterners liked to waltz. They experienced joy in twirling around in circles over and over again. As a dictionary would have put it, a waltz is: a ballroom dance, in moderately fast triple meter, in which the dancers revolve in perpetual circles, taking one step to each beat.

Varil basically led the dance, while Mia concentrated on doing whatever he did, which didn't work out very well. With Razzy laughing in the background, it didn't take long for her to just quit the dance.

"Okay, I lied…I can't dance," said Mia.

"You think?" Varil had a wider smirk on his face. "That was horrible."

"Never knew you were such a gentleman, Varil," teased Mia.

"'Cause he can waltz and you can't? I think you should be a comedian, Big Sis," said Razzy.

"C'mon, Razzy! How was I supposed to know how to dance? Mother was going to teach me but…" Mia trailed off there. "It's not like it really matters! So I guess you can dance with Varil now."

"That's okay. I'm going to congratulate Bron—I mean, Master Bron." Razzy left Mia and Varil alone.

A blonde woman walked up to the two, wearing clothes that were more revealing than even Sanary's. She looked shy, fidgeting with her fingers and turning red when she looked at Varil. "H-hello, Varil…"

"Hmm?" Varil looked at her, trying to connect her image with a name. "…Clarie?"

"Did you already forget? You came to visit a few weeks ago…" Clarie answered in her soft voice, sounding slightly disappointed. She lived not far from Wystern, on an island where the Diegleyans once invaded.

"I didn't forget. I was just surprised that you were here," lied Varil.

Meanwhile, Mia was biting her nails in anxiety, trying to remember who this "Clarie" was.

"Oh…well, my father was the student of the bride's former husband, so we were invited," explained Clarie.

Mia's heart sank at the mention of 'the bride's former husband'. "Oh, Clarie. I remember you!"

"Huh? I'm afraid I don't recall…" murmured Clarie. She seemed to just notice Mia's presence.

"I'm Mia, the Craftlord of Iron," said Mia to introduce herself. "Or, the daughter of the bride. I came to your island before, when the summon creature was creating the vortex."

"Oh! Yes, I knew you looked familiar…" said Clarie in recognition. "May I…please have a dance with you, Varil?"

"Uh…" Varil glanced at Mia, wondering if she'd mind. Then he mentally kicked himself, for when had Mia actually noticed things? Here she was, oblivious to Clarie who obviously had a crush on him…when even _Varil_ himself knew that she did…In fact, she looked so careless at that moment that she was about to trip over that carefully positioned potted flower…too late. "Yes, let's dance."


	12. Chapter 12: Of Combs and Pudding

_Chatter Without a Point: Aha, obvious references to Spongebob here. In fact, I think I'll make my plot mirror some of those Spongebob episodes. And this chapter also goes along with the saying of a needle in a hay stack. And I made up the name for Varil's mother (From a hobbit name generator). This is just a quick chapter 'cuz I wanted to make it by Saturday, and you can probably tell. Only one this week!_

_Additional Disclaimer: Don't own Spongebob Squarepants. _

Chapter Eleven: Of Combs and pudding—the search for Mia

A few days after Mia's visit to the labyrinth, after the orders for the Via weapons were completed, and after Bron's proposal to Amariss became official and anybody who was anybody knew about it, Wystern began to change.

It became a wealthier city, largely due to the Gold Guild.

The Silver Guild was going out of business, because not only could the Gold Guild supply weapons in quantity, but they also served quality as well.

The main drive of the Silver Guild was quality weapons, stronger than any the Gold Guild could accomplish.

To make matters worse for the Silver Guild losers, the Via weapons were extremely popular and were selling out rapidly.

The Silver Guild was…losing its business and reputation.

And the way Bron saw it, the reason was Mia. She helped transform the Gold guild…

He went to confront her, only to find out that she went "somewhere" with Varil, and that both were missing as of the night before. Oh the wonders of youth.

Given the circumstances, Bron decided that he needed Mia or a full-fledged _Guild War_ would be engaged against Libody. So he gave Sanary and Razzy a mission…to bring back Mia alive.

--------------------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------------------

"Uh, Varil? I know that you lost your comb, and I know that you had to pay the store just to keep it open for you to find it, and I know that we came here because you dared me to actually comb my hair today when I don't own one, and I know that this store _only sells combs and there are stacks of them everywhere_, and I know that you accidentally dropped yours in one of these and we don't know which since all the combs look _completely identical_, and I know that—," said Pratty annoyingly, fighting back a yawn since they were searching for Varil's beloved comb all night.

"…Is there a particular reason you're recounting all the events that occurred today?" interrupted Varil.

"Um…no," said Mia, this time actually yawning. "But why do you want it so badly?"

"It was my mother's," answered Varil.

Mia half-sighed, half yawned. "We're never going to find it…" She turned dejectedly to another stack of hair combs, looking for one that had Varil's mother's name on it in small gold lettering, given to her by Libody as a romantic gift.

…She groaned loudly when she noticed a 'personalized' stack of combs, each with their own engravings on them in small gold lettering.

----------------------------------------Division Claws--------------------------------------

"Listen, you! I know you know where Mia is. Tell me, or else!" threatened Sanary, holding Nigelle by the collar of his shirt.

Nigelle calmly shoved Sanary's hands away. "I don't know where she is. Is there a particular reason…?"

"Master Bron wants to know," said Razzy.

"Bron?" asked Libody, ambling over. "What does that loser want with one of my best members?"

Razzy and Sanary exchanged glances. "He didn't really tell us…" said Sanary carefully, though he did. After all, what would Libody do if he knew that the Silver Guild was losing business?

"I don't believe you, by the looks on your faces. But let me guess—Silver Guild going out of business?" said Libody nastily.

"No! Uh…you know, Bron just proposed to Mia's mother. He probably wants to talk to his new daughter," said Sanary quickly.

"That may be so, but don't think I don't know what's happening," said Libody with a grin. "My guild's never been this successful, and I've got Mia to thank. To think I could've gotten these results if Shintetsu joined my guild all those years ago! I suppose Mia didn't inherit his stubbornness as strongly as I had thought."

"Mia's coming back to the Silver Guild even if I have to kidnap her to do it!" exclaimed Sanary.

"Aha! So this _is_ about her!" said Libody triumphantly. "I'm afraid she's quite happy here."

"Yeah right! Mia would rather see me everyday!" said Sanary.

"Then how come she was out all night with _Varil_?" asked Razzy.

"Oh please. They're probably off killing each other as usual. You know, for their stupid rivalry," said Sanary.

"Hehe. You're just jealous that Varil knows Mia is stronger than you," said Razzy.

"Say that again, Razzy," said Sanary in a dangerous voice.

Nigelle coughed. "You two are in charge of searching for them, correct? I shall assist you."

"Oh…alright," said Sanary.

--------------------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------------------

"Ugh…You're usually more careful Varil. I've never seen you drop anything before…" murmured Mia.

"This must be punishment for shoving Clarie into pudding the other day…" muttered Varil.

"Wait, what?" Mia's eyes widened excitedly, temporarily forgetting her tiredness. "What happened?"

Varil looked a bit embarrassed while he looked through all the identical stacks of combs. "The island she's on has an annual festival celebrating pudding. They all pitched in and filled a large bowl—taller than you, Mia—with pudding."

Mia understood the insult to her height but ignored it. "What kind of pudding?" asked Mia eagerly.

"Chocolate pudding," answered Varil. "They had a strange tradition of pushing someone into the pudding every year to bring them luck or something equally barbaric. So I pushed Clarie in and wished her luck on cleaning off the pudding."

"What'd she say?" asked Mia.

"She said she hated the festival. I don't blame her," said Varil.

"I would love to be pushed into a big bowl of pudding…" said Mia dreamily.

Varil smirked. "I'm sure you will. We should go this year."

"Why were you there in the first place?" asked Mia.

"Don't ask stupid questions. An important person such as myself gets invited everywhere," said Varil.

--------------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------------------------

"Did you see an idiot in red and black and a rich jerk in white and blue?" asked Sanary to a random citizen of Wystern.

"Did the idiot in red and black have white hair?" asked the citizen.

"Yes!" said Sanary excitedly.

"I haven't seen my grandfather either," said the citizen.

Sanary groaned. Razzy said, "You should be more specific, Sanary! Did you see the Craftlord of Iron?"

"No…" said the citizen. "But I always thought her hair was silver."

"Same difference!" snapped Sanary.

"I never understood that saying, Sanary. How can you have the same of different things?" asked Razzy, confused.

"Shut up!"

-----------------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------------------

"Oh look! There's a comb with my name on it!" exclaimed Mia.

"That's…amazing," said Varil, uncaring.

"You should buy it for me," said Mia.

"Why would _I_ do that?" asked Varil.

"Because your dad bought one for your mom! And…you dared me to comb my hair," admitted Mia.

"Buy it yourself."

Mia looked from her wallet to Varil, and then back to her wallet. "I don't want to."

"You're stingy…" commented Varil.

"Yeah well, what's the point of a store only selling combs anyway?"

"I can't imagine they get too much business…" remarked Varil.

The door to the store opened, and the Craftlord of Jade entered. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Varil and Mia.

"Urkesa?" Mia's eyes began to droop again.

"Hello, Mia…" said Ureksa, giving her a nod.

"What are you doing here…" said Mia, occupying herself with their frantic search for Varil's comb again.

"I've heard that a new design for styling combs came out," said Ureksa coolly. He swept past them and began to talk to the salesperson, who was busy restocking.

-------------------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------------

"Razzy!" said Sanary loudly, trying to get the girl who was _younger than her_ and yet a _Craftlord_ to stay focused. Yes, it still bothered Sanary that Razzy was a Craftlord.

"Yes, Sanary?" asked Razzy innocently, biting an apple.

Sanary narrowed her eyes. "Did you even pay for that?"

"Um…"

"What kind of Craftlord are you! We're supposed to be searching for Mia, and then you steal fruit?"

"Um…it was free, Sanary," said Razzy.

Sanary exploded. "We're not even close to finding her! We've been searching for _hours_!"

"…It's been ten minutes, Sanary," said Razzy.

Sanary glared at her.

-----------------------------------------Division Claws------------------------------------------------

"I found it!" announced Mia with a relieved smile. She held up the comb victoriously over her head. "It's Elaera, right?"

Varil flashed a genuine smile, coming from the side of the store he was looking in. "Thanks so much Mia!"

"Yeah…" Mia suddenly fell to the floor, fast asleep.

----------------------------------Division Claws----------------------------------------------

"Varil! Finally, where were you—what did you DO to Mia?" asked Sanary. Razzy and Nigelle were close behind, but they were having an argument about the color of the tiles at the Gold Guild.

"It's a creamish color, really," said Nigelle.

"No, it's white!" Razzy argued.

Anyway:

"She fell asleep," said Varil calmly. "Shut up or you'll wake her up."

"I need her to wake up!" said Sanary loudly.

"Hey—," said Varil, a bit taken aback as Sanary grabbed Mia roughly from him. Then she started to shake her.

"What…" murmured Mia.

"Wake up, sweetie," said Sanary in a poisonously sweet voice.

"In a minute, mother dear…" said Mia, knowing full well who it was.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, dearie," continued Sanary in the same tone.

"I'm sure you can, mommy," said Mia with a small smile.

"Not on your life, honey!"

"Thirty more seconds, dearest mother."

"Open your eyes, sweetheart!"

"I will, mum…"

"I'm not kidding, Mia!"

"Zzzzzz…."

"It's off-white, Razzy," continued Nigelle.

"No, it's a chalky white," argued Razzy.

"Hmm…I'll take Mia to the Gold Guild," said Varil.

"What a gentleman you are, Varil," said Sanary. "But Mia's going to come with _me_."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," said Varil.

"Funny. _The_ Varil wants to protect the Craftlord of Iron from me?" asked Sanary, looking at Varil oddly.

"That's my girlfriend you're abusing," said Varil.

"_What? Girlfriend?_" exclaimed Sanary, dropping Mia in her surprise. A muffled, "Waaah! Mother of Pearl!" was heard as Mia made contact with the floor.

Nigelle and Razzy stopped their argument on tiles after hearing Sanary's exclamation.

"Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?" asked Varil, matching Sanary's stare.

"No, it's just—seriously?" asked Sanary disbelievingly.

Varil rolled his eyes. "Yes, seriously. You're as stupid as you look, apparently."

Meanwhile, Mia fell asleep again.

"You really get on my nerves! Fine, see if I care if you're dating the idiot!"

"Are you…jealous, Sanary? I thought you liked Ureksa!" said Razzy amazingly.

"What are you accusing me of?" Sanary turned red, turning to face Razzy.

"Then why are you red, Sanary?" asked Razzy.

"Haha, did you get that, Nigelle?" asked Varil with a smirk.

"Of course, young master Varil. Sanary has a crush on Mia," said Nigelle.

"You people are sick!" shouted Sanary, waking up Mia and getting another "Mother of Pearl!" out of her.

"Ugh, can you let a person sleep?" said Mia loudly.

"Oh yeah, YOU. You're coming with me, Mia," said Sanary, still a little red but that was due to her anger.

"Um, but, uh…" Mia stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse.

"You can come with Razzy and me if you like, to prove to her that the tiles in the Gold Guild are a cream color," offered Nigelle, coming to her rescue.

"Deal!" agreed Mia.

"They're not cream, though, Big Sis! Nigelle's lying," put in Razzy.

"Oh, _Miiaa!_" called Sanary. "If you come with me I'll… give you a hat!"

"Uh…a hat?"

"Yes! It's really cute, you would totally like it!" said Sanary.

"Uh…okay. Whatever," said Mia, following Sanary.

------------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------------

"Ya finally brought her. An' where's Razzy?" asked Bron.

"She's a little occupied..." said Sanary, trailing off.

"Hmm...So I expect ya know why yer here, Mia?" asked Bron.

"No. Can I go now?" asked Mia.

"No!" roared Bron. "The Silver Guild's losin' to the Gold Guild, an' it's yer fault an' responsibility! Ya need to join us again an' I'll forgive ya."

"You said I can't come back anymore," pointed out Mia.

"I didn't mean that!" said Bron angrily. "Ya gonna join us again or not?"

"I like it at the Gold Guild."

"Yer kiddin'. Ya'd rather stay with that snake, Libody, than good ol' Bron?"

"Yeah."

Ten minutes later:

"Okay, fine, Master Bron, I'll come back!"

-----------------------------------------Division Claws-------------------------------------------

_At the Park:_

"Hi Varil!" said Mia cheerfully, coming from the direction of the Silver Guild. "I have bad news and worse news!"

"And why are you so happy about that?" asked Varil.

"Is it bothering you?" asked Mia, her smile slightly slipping.

Varil sighed. "Not particularly. Go on."

Mia started to smile again. "Okay, the bad news is that Bron's forcing me to go back to the Silver Guild!"

"What?"

"And the worse news is that I'm going to see Sanary every single day."

Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnn


	13. Chapter 13: Suspension

_Pointless Chatter: By cookies, cream, and every dentist's nightmare, I'm back! 'Cuz you know you all missed me. Or something. Whatever._

_Additional Disclaimer: I don't own Fairly Odd Parents. I promise._

_Now to reply to reviews that weren't signed in! Watch this be longer than the actual chapter...YAY! (Skip this if you're not Phreno and/or Toki)_

_Alright, so first I'll reply to Toki._

_Instance One: _I like your story! The characters seem to be in-character so far!

_Reply: GASP, seriously? I'd say they're only in character for the first chapter...and then after that they kinda...aren't._

_Instance Two: _Ooh...! I didn't think Pratty would ever, EVER join the Gold Guild (but this is a fanfic...)  
I love the title of the fic, btw. "Capital L Loser!!" - I've always thought that line was memorable.

_Reply: Gasp! Oh my dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear (gets whacked) Ow! Now where was I? Dear, dear, dear Toki. Just memorable? You're kidding! That quote is the very epitomy of the universe! The meaning of life! Almost as great as socks! It had me laughing for WEEKS. _

_Instance Three: _Haha...! Your story's funny! I like Pratty/Varil, so I love your story. The only critisism I have is that they started going out so early (in my opinion) which I think is out of character. But that's just my opinion

_Reply: Gasp! No actually, I just wanted to say gasp again to keep the trend going. I actually thought that they weren't exactly in character for pretty much the whole thing...but I'm really honored that you like this! They probably DID start going out early, but well...they'll probably break up soon too. Alright, if I was giving you a REAL review reply, at the end I would say 'see ya, and cheers!' so I don't want to deprive you of that...see ya, and cheers!_

_Now Phreno!_

_Reply: You're on the dark side of the force now...You're starting to laugh at random things, like "Mother of pearl!" Heheh. I laugh at everything, so I think that this is funny...I was reading about suicide and this girl angsting before, and I was just cracking myself up. So yeah, the dark side of the force! _

_Hahaha, Varil with hairy feet in the first place is funny enough! Hey, he COULD have hairy feet, really. He's not exactly wearing sandels, so we don't REALLY know, but maybe, just MAYBE._

_And I got Elaera when I typed in 'Mia'! How great is that? When I typed in stuff like Jenna, I got weird names, but when I type in Mia I got a more...sorta kinda normal name. You get a 'see ya, and cheers!' too. Since I just like saying it. _

_...Onwards! _

Chapter Twelve: Suspension

"Everyone knows why they are here, correct?" asked Rondeau. His most trusted advisors were gathered on the fourth floor of the Central Tower. They included Kouren, Sakuro, and Ureksa.

"Yes," said Ureksa immediately. "It seems that Iron has caused some trouble regarding the guilds."

"She can't remain in the Silver Guild," said Sakuro. "She makes specialized weapons with Amber."

"It won't be good for Wystern's economy if she stays away from the Gold Guild," said Ureksa. "But if she does, it will eventually lead to the Silver Guild deteriorating, since Bron is too distracted in his love for Amariss."

Rondeau nodded. "That's what I thought this was about. That dunderhead! Shintetsu's very memory will be insulted if they get married!"

"…Master Rondeau, that's not the point of the meeting," said Kouren, to keep them focused. "I suggest that Mia be suspended from _both_ guilds for the time being. That will give the Silver guild time to get back on its feet."

"Why don't we just allow Mia to honestly choose between them?" asked Ureksa.

Kouren closed her eyes. She had a small smirk on her face. "We all know which side she favors…"

Sakuro nodded. "Yes…I remember when she couldn't stop talking about her shiny new forge."

"Hmhm, that maybe be so, but that is not the only reason Iron would want to stay at the Gold."

"She also spoke of the luxurious bed in her workshop…" said Sakuro.

"Ah, but I'm not talking about anything material…" said Kouren coolly.

"You're certain? The other members at the guild _do_ get materials for her when she's too busy to go to the labyrinth," said Sakuro.

"Iron is dating Amber," put in Ureksa, before Sakuro killed himself guessing.

"Dating? How can an iron date…_Oh…_," Sakuro trailed off, refusing to speak further.

"Ahem," interrupted Rondeau. "Are we all agreed on suspending Mia from the guilds?"

"Where will she stay?" asked Ureksa.

"Wherever she chooses," said Rondeau.

"That will be at the Gold Guild," said Kouren.

"…Can she not go on another trip instead? Just until Bron can get back on his feet, or when he marries Amariss? With Bron out of the way, Mia can choose to do whatever she wants," said Ureksa.

"That was a mouthful," commented Sakuro.

"…I was not speaking to you, Sakuro," said Ureksa icily.

"A trip, hmm? Where to?" asked Kouren.

"Ah…not too far. I was thinking of Rugista Island. One of Shintetsu's students lives there, so she will still be able to forge," said Ureksa.

"That is not a bad idea…Meanwhile, we'll protect the home front! Bron will _not_ be marrying Amariss if I can help it!" said Rondeau passionately.

"Master Rondeau…" said Kouren in a reprimanding voice.

"Ah…sorry," muttered Rondeau.

"I believe that Mia should take Varil with her," said Sakuro. "They can complete the Via orders while they are there."

"I don't know…" said Rondeau. "Two teenagers…on a boat…alone…_let's do it!_"

"All in favor?" asked Kouren, ignoring her superior. "Say Kouren is Awesome."

"Kouren is awesome," said Ureksa.

"Kouren is awesome," said Rondeau.

"Kouren is awesome," said Sakuro.

"Hey wait…" the male members of the meeting stared at Kouren, feeling duped.

"Alright then," said Kouren, twirling her hair in amusement. "I shall take my leave…I'll let Mia know."

Kouren exited gracefully, while successfully lowering the males' pride. After a few minutes…

"Alright, this is the plan…While Bron's asleep, we'll take this bottle of ketchup and…" started Rondeau. Ureksa and Sakuro listened intently.

-----------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------

"Hmm…what should I do today?" mused Mia, balancing her hot mug of coffee carefully along with a big stack of paperwork that came with her position. "I think I'll pay off Sanary to finish all of this work…I wonder what she'd charge…this load should be 1,000 boam at the most—"

Mia suddenly collided with someone else. Her coffee spilled all over Varil's shirt.

"My coffee!"

"My shirt!"

Varil looked livid, while Mia was on the verge of tears at her now-empty cup. "Now what'll I dooo?" she wailed. "That was a buy one, get one free! I took Sanary's free oneee…"

"Yeah? This shirt was brand new. I just bought this yesterday. You should apologize to the king," said Varil with a frown.

"So? You can replace that! I have to wait till _tomorrow_ before Sanary buys another cup of coffee!" exclaimed Mia sadly.

"Do you _not_ care that you just spilled _hot_ coffee all over my shirt?" asked Varil in a dangerous tone.

"And do _you_ not care that you just wasted all of my coffee?" asked Mia, matching Varil's tone.

"Not particularly, no," said Varil through gritted teeth. Just as he was about to yell at Mia, another person stepped in.

"Mia…oh, and Varil too I suppose," said Kouren. "You might want to get a new shirt, by the way."

Varil just glared at Mia. "This is no fault of mine…"

"You have a task to complete, straight from Master Rondeau…" continued Kouren. "You're to report to Rugista Island for some time…but both of you will still be responsible for the completion of the Via weapons."

"Wait, both of us?" asked Varil.

"Yes…" said Kouren amused.

"Both of us…on a boat…alone…hehe," said Mia with a stupid expression.

"……What are you thinking…?" asked Varil, almost afraid to ask.

"When are we leaving?" asked Mia, ignoring Varil's question.

"Tomorrow," said Kouren promptly. "You'll be there for at least a month, probably more, so I suggest packing."

"Oh, I see…(I'll have to buy more postcards from Razzy…) Hey Varil, can you do a favor for me? I have to run!" Mia dumped her stack of paperwork in Varil's arms and rocketed out of the Craftlord office.

-------------------------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------

"How romantic!" squealed Sanary. "Both of you…on a boat…alone together…"

"Oxymoron!" exclaimed Mia.

"…What?"

"You can't be alone and together at the same time…" reasoned Mia.

"You just ruined it, Mia…" murmured Sanary. "Anyway, you have to tell me _everything_ that happens!"

"Everything?" repeated Mia.

"Everything! I remember the first time I went on a boat with Ureksa…" Sanary blushed.

"I was always wondering about that. Why is he dating someone so old and ugly?" asked Mia with a straight face.

"…."

"Waaah! Sorry!" Mia started running, Sanary close behind.

-------------------------------------------Division Claws------------------------------------------

"Déjà vu…" muttered Mia, when Amariss repeated "The two of you…on a boat…alone…" thing.

"I'm sorry?" asked Amariss.

"Uh…never mind," said Mia. "It's not like we're going to be on a boat the _whole_ time."

"The inn will cost money, sweetie," said Amariss.

"Okay, _I'll_ stay on the boat for the entire trip," corrected Mia.

"That's what I thought you'd say," said Amariss. "Do me a favor and buy me a slipcover from there, won't you? They sell wonderful ones at Rugista island."

"I know, Mother! I have a catalog of slipcovers from all over the world, and Rugista always has the front cover!" said Mia excitedly.

"Really? I have a catalog of slipcovers too! Do you have this week's edition?" asked Amariss.

"Yup! I've been buying every single week's edition for two years now!" exclaimed Mia.

"You have a ways to go, Mia. I've been doing that for ten years!" said Amariss.

"Really, Mother?" asked Mia in a state of awe. "Where do you keep them all?"

"In your room," said Amariss, waving a hand like it was nothing. "I moved out all the junk in there, which was…everything, and I put all the catalogs in there."

"Mother!"

…Mia's room was no more, now filled with catalogs upon catalogs full of slipcovers.

…

"You're never here anymore anyway, darling," said Amariss. "And I needed more space."

"They're for the catalogs, so I guess it's okay," said Mia. "You're the ultimate collector, Mother!"

Amariss laughed. "Yes, I suppose I am. You should run along and pack, dear."

"Yes…I'll send you a postcard," said Mia.

-----------------------------------------Division Claws--------------------------------------------

Mia was at the Gold Guild at her ex-workshop, since she never had time to move out of it. "Hmm…what outfits should I bring?" She looked at her closet, filled with the exact same outfit as her current one, but still she racked her brain. "I need help…"

"Zzzzzzzz," said Zappe.

"They are _not_ the same, Zappe! See, this dress is a millimeter shorter than the other ones!" retorted Mia.

"Zz…" said Zappe.

"Do you want me to measure them and prove it to you?" asked Mia challengingly.

"Z," said Zappe.

"Know-it-all…" muttered Mia under her breath.

Razzy came in, uninvited. "Hi, Big Sis! I heard that you're going to Rugista island with Varil! Do you need help packing? I always need help when I pack. I just can't choose which outfits to bring! So do you want me to help you, Big Sis?"

"Razzy! Yeah, I need help…" said Mia. Razzy walked over to her closet.

"This looks just like my closet," said Razzy. She too had about fifty of the same outfit. "Hmm…this is tough."

"I know…I really can't tell what to bring…" said Mia.

The two girls thought and thought.

----------------------------------------Division Claws-----------------------------------------------

"Hey," said Varil, looking in on Mia's workshop. He was wearing a new shirt that said 'I'm with stupid,' determined to walk near Mia. It was a white shirt with blue letters, but the blue was outlined with gold.

What he found was Mia and Razzy jumping on a suitcase, since they decided that since they couldn't choose which outfit to bring, they might as well bring them all.

"Oh…hi Varil," said Mia, suddenly stopping. Razzy stopped too. The evil suitcase suddenly opened, casing them to fly backward. Mia and Razzy hit the wall opposite Varil.

Varil smirked. He should really buy shirts like this more often. "Packing?"

"Maybe…" said Mia. "I have an idea, Razzy!"

Mia emptied the suitcase further. Her ex-workshop was now littered with clothes. She threw the suitcase into the forge and went to work making a bigger one with Zappe.

"Ha…" Varil watched as Mia took out the bigger suitcase, befuddled at why it was a bright purple in color. It made no sense…

"Hey Razzy…it should work now!" said Mia. They dumped all of Mia's clothes in the bigger suitcase and successfully closed it. "_Yes!_" Both of them cheered.

"Nice shirt, Varil," said Mia right after Razzy left.

Varil smirked again. "I thought you'd say that."

-------------------------------------------Division Claws--------------------------------------------

_The Following morning:_

Bron woke up with an unpleasant feeling, and horrific odors. He took off the wet, slimy, _thing_ that was on his forehead to get a good look at it. It was a dead fish…

Then he looked in horror at the red _substance_ that was all over his arms, clothes, and blanket. It smelled oddly of ketchup…he did _not_ like waking up with this sensation.

There was a note stuck to the dead fish. Bron read it aloud. "Marry Amariss an' I'll kill you…" Threatening…

He turned it over. In tiny scrawled writing that was obviously Rondeau's, it stated, 'This is NOT from Rondeau!'

"THEN WHO ARE YOU?" yelled out Bron, dismayed. Right at the bottom of that, in Ureksa's handwriting, it said, 'Ureksa and Sakuro didn't help.'


	14. Chapter 14: Bon Voyage

_Pointless Chatter: Plot, plot!!! I'm serious, this chapter has the PLOT in it! Isn't that so, just so amazing? Happy New Year to everyone!_

_Wow, short chatter today. But get this--I went on an ACTUAL, REAL vacation! For four days! It had no internet though. And it was extremely dissapointing that I didn't get that much mail either..._

_Now for those anonymous reviews!_

_To Meli: Haha, Hayoto! 'Course I remember him! I played the game so many times that I played it with each hero! Touya was my favorite though. He was soo funny and Sugar thought that Pratty liked him! Heh heh. I'll add the hero from Seijent sometime. I was meaing to, but I never got around to it...Thanks for reminding me! And thanks for your review, see ya, and cheers!_

_To Phreno: Hahahahaha! Just, ugh, I can't even think of anything to say 'cuz I laughed so hard at your review! Y'know what? I think I'll right a fic where Rondeau IS related to Pratty and then I'll dedicate it to you! They'll take a blood test and everything...It could also be why they both have names with roots from Sapureth or something like that! (Forgot what the game said exactly...) Like, Shintetsu and Rondeau...I bet Pratty and Cleru's names are like that too. Hmm, wow, I bet you're right!! And Pratty and Rondeau have weird styles, liiike, he wears that pointy hat and she wears that headset thing! _

_Oh wow...you're really on to something! Thanks for your review, see ya, and cheers! _

_I found more chatter!:_

_My sister just said "I was going to put mom's shoes on, but then I took them off because I remembered what happened to you." Haha, I guess my wart helped someone out..._

_To the chapter! _

Chapter Thirteen: Bon Voyage…y!

"Where's Mia? We're scheduled to depart now," said Varil. He stood on the ship with his back to Sanary and Razzy who were on the port, and admired his handiwork. On the deck were a luxurious armchair and a footrest for his pleasure. There were other random and relaxing things scattered on the ship for his upper-class needs.

Razzy shrugged, but then remembered that Varil couldn't see her. "She's always late."

Sanary though, took offense. "Turn around when you're talking to someone! That's rude!"

Varil turned around, wearing the most disgusted and better-than-you-are expression he possessed. "Of all people, I don't need _you_ to tell me what bad manners are."

"Excuse me? Did you just insult me? Come right here and say that to my face!" said a furious Sanary.

"Okay then," said Varil. He stepped off his ship and walked right up to Sanary. "You're the most rude and ill-mannered person I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

Razzy squealed, enjoying every minute. She put on a headset, similar to Mia's, and then said "Oooh, _owned,_ Sanary!" in a slightly higher pitched voice. Then Razzy took off the headset and said in a normal tone, "Right, Big Sis! That _burned_."

The two ignored Razzy. "You brat! I'll make you regret those words! We'll have a one-on-one fight, no guardian beasts! What do you say to _that_, you rich spoiled…" Sanary searched her head for an insulting word for Varil, and then finally said, "stupid _Varil_." She said his name like it was the worst thing in the world and something no one would _ever_ want to be.

Varil smirked. "You're trying to teach me to be nicer, yet _you're_ the one who called me stupid. At least I'm not a _Sanary_. I accept your proposition."

"_Proposition_? Hear that, Razzy? Listen to him, trying to be all high and mighty," spat Sanary.

"I _am_ high and mighty," said Varil firmly. "I'm the king."

"Guys? Are you ready to fight? I don't think Mia's coming any time soon," interrupted Razzy.

"Yeah, we're ready," said Sanary, drawing a sharp sword that glowed red.

"Ready to lose, aren't you?" said Varil. He smirked, and drew a golden spear that flashed blue once in a while.

"In your dreams." Sanary suddenly struck at Varil. He jumped and dodged.

"You're too hasty. This is exactly why you're not a craftlord," said Varil, mocking her.

Sanary shrieked angrily, and attacked him again.

----------------------------------------Division Claws-------------------------------------------

"Hello, Bob," said Kouren, down in the labyrinth.

"Kouren…it took you a while," greeted Bob. "Are you finally resigning from your Craftlord position?"

"Hmhm…That is what you want, is it not?" Kouren looked at the summon creature with a knowing smile.

"You know it is," answered Bob.

Kouren twirled her hair idly. "The only thing standing between you and Wystern's destruction…How you must want to destroy me…"

Bob clenched a mechanical claw. "You and Rumari were always too powerful. Why do you think I lured her to Parista in the first place? Yes, I knew that she would suffer an incurable curse. It's too bad that it is cured now."

"That is not new information," said Kouren. She sighed. "Rumari is in love with Tyram…she is too blinded to return here."

"It's too bad…Together, you two could destroy me. Just one of you, however…" mused Bob.

"We would kill each other. Perhaps I should take that route," said Kouren thoughtfully.

"You don't want to die," Bob said. "What's more, you are jealous of Rumari for finding love. You're lonely."

"There is nothing I can hide from you." Kouren's eyes narrowed.

"Of course not. I know everything that goes on in Wystern. Parista was just a puppet," stated Bob.

"You need not go on," said Kouren.

"Oh yes. I forgot I was talking to the all-seeing Ruby. My apologies." Bob relaxed its claw slightly. "You always did possess more insight and knowledge than Rumari. If I could choose who remained in this city, it would have been her. It's too bad that her name carries a legend while yours does not."

"She is the luckier of us two in that regard," agreed Kouren. "I care not."

"Hmm…and I suppose you sent away the Craftlord of Iron away for a reason?" asked Bob.

"Oh?" Kouren smirked. "Take it easy, Bob. I know it's hard when there is a secret you do _not_ know of in Wystern. Amber is leaving too, if that is any consolation."

Bob crept closer to her. "You're dangerous, Kouren…Very dangerous…Why don't you join my cause instead of protecting this forsaken city?"

Kouren crossed her arms indifferently. "Pray continue."

"You're bitter at heart…You don't get what you want…Even Rumari, who fought a fever constantly could find a lover…but you…You were always alone…" said Bob.

"Is that all? That won't affect me," said Kouren.

"Ally with me, and we'll destroy the place that caused you so much grief," said Bob. "Your strength, resolve, and intellect are almost legendary…Few have matched you in those regards…"

"Enlighten me."

"Rondeau for one. He is too old to remain a threat. His aging makes him weaker…And Shintetsu…he came quite close to discovering my true motives," said Bob.

"So that's why you killed him…" said Kouren. "I knew that forging alone couldn't destroy the veteran Iron."

"You are wise…" said Bob approvingly. "I want you…"

"Let me ask you something first, Bob. Why do you want to destroy Wystern all of a sudden? We have always given you all the bodies you wanted for the Mystic ores. Every time someone died, we would throw the body down into the labyrinth for you after the ceremony. So why…?" asked Kouren.

"I knew you would ask soon. I could say that I want to go back to Loreilal like Parista wanted to go to Sapureth, but that isn't true. I love it here. But do you know what I love more? Blood. I possess none of that. But it's wonderful seeing the substance spray out of people, and the pain in their eyes that comes with it. Pain and fear, those are the best qualities of humans, and that is what I want to see. That is the reason I'm going to destroy Wystern…" explained Bob.

"I see…you're a sadist," concluded Kouren.

"But…you are as well," said Bob.

"What makes you think that?" asked Kouren.

"You're not disagreeing."

"Hmm…You forget my position, Bob. I'm a craftlord. My duty is to protect Wystern. Therefore, I will not allow you to harm it. My plan is already underway…" said Kouren, though still managing to look lazy.

"Is that how it's going to be? Is that your final answer, Kouren?" asked Bob.

"You know it is," replied Kouren.

"Then I'll defy you to the end."

"There'll still be Mystic ores…" said Kouren.

"Of course. You know that I can't help it," said Bob.

"Heh heh."

"Too bad. You enjoyed my stories just as much as Mia. Is that why you sent her away?" asked Bob.

"Oh? You'll see. Heh heh. Take it easy, Bob. Don't hurt yourself thinking…It's time for me to go. Nice seeing you."

"Likewise. See you later, Kouren."

"Heh. Bye Bob."

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"And Sanary falls down AGAIN!" yelled Razzy. She was commentating the match between Sanary and Varil, much to their annoyances. They were too out of breath to bother telling her to shut up though. "Oh wait, looks like she can't get up…Varil aims…and SANARY DODGES! She rolled over at the very last second! She's getting ready to strike…SHE CONNECTED! Varil's down! Oh hey Big Sis! OUCH, a hit on the head from Varil! When did he get up anyway? Sanary looks dazed…If she's not up by the next ten seconds, she's OUT! TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE! VARIL WINS!"

"Hah, you okay Sanary?" mocked Varil.

"Shut up…" managed Sanary, breathing hard.

"What was that all about? I'm late _one_ time and you two are killing each other!" exclaimed Mia.

"One time?" echoed Varil.

"I can't believe I was beaten by that brat…" muttered Sanary.

"Watch your tongue, Sanary," chastised Varil.

"SHUT UP!" shrieked Sanary.

"Oooh, Sanary's mad," remarked Mia.

"_You think?_" said Sanary dangerously. "This is all your fault, Mia! Why are you dating that loser?"

"But, I just got here! How is it my fault?" asked Mia. She looked scared at Sanary's accusation.

"I only came here to see YOU off, but since _he's_ coming with you because you two are _seeing_ each other, I had to see him off too!" yelled Sanary.

"But, I always see him, and I see you, and I see Razzy too!" said Mia.

Sanary hit her with the blunt side of her sword and Mia blacked out.

"What did you do _that_ for, Sanary?" asked Razzy.

"Mia was annoying me," said Sanary flatly.

Varil sighed. "In the name of Varil, I summon thee! Get over here, Tete…"

"Oh yeah? It's Sanary, duty calls Myojin!" said Sanary informally.

The summon creatures that resembled a flying penguin and a green acorn with eyes appeared. Myojin healed Sanary and Tete carried Mia aboard _S.S. King Varil_ since Varil didn't feel like carrying her himself this time around.

"See you, LOSER," said Varil, just to spite Sanary. "'Bye Razzy."

"Byeee Varil! Send me a postcard!" said Razzy, waving as he went on his ship (given as a present for his half-birthday since he's filthy rich. Makes people wonder what he'll get when his real birthday comes around)

"Sure. Later Razzy."

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"Zzzz!" ordered Zappe.

"Hunh…" Mia's eyes opened wide. "Where am I?"

"Zzz. Zzzz zzz zzz," explained Zappe.

"Oh. I wish Sanary wouldn't do things like that all of a sudden," said Mia. "At least my head feels better…"

"Zzz. Zzzz! Zzzzz!" said Zappe.

"Oh yeah, Varil's here too. You're right," said Mia.

"Zzzzz! Zzzz zzzz zzzzzz zzz," said Zappe.

"Hm…Okay. Let's see if we're far from Wystern," agreed Mia.

She got up and left the cabin. It seemed that ocean surrounded the ship, and nothing but blue could be seen, so they must have traveled quite a distance. She stood at the edge of the ship, but that didn't last. Zappe rammed her back.

"Zaaaaaaapppeeee!" yelled Mia as she fell. She splashed into the ocean, and when her head emerged from the water she shook a fist at her lovable summon creature.

"Zzz zzz zzz," said Zappe. That translated as: 'Hee hee hee'

"What happened?" asked Varil. He had been relaxing in an armchair until Mia yelled 'Zaaaaaaaaapppeeeee!'

"Zzzzz," explained Zappe.

"What?"

"Zzzzz"

"I can't understand you."

"Zzzzzz! Zzzz!"

"Uh…"

Mia shouted then for Varil, but since she was…at sea level while Varil and Zappe clearly weren't, it sounded rather distant. "Varil, I'm down here 'cause Zappe pushed me!"

"Give me a second," Varil told her. He disappeared from her view. Zappe floated down to keep her company.

"Zzzzzz zzz zzz zzzzzz," said Zappe.

"Oh yeah? Well your momma's so ugly that her reflection ran away and then DIED," retorted Mia.

"Zzzz zzzz zzz zzzz zzzz zzzz!" said Zappe.

Mia gasped. "Oh, that was good…W-well...YOUR MOM! HA!"

"Zz…" Zappe floated back into the ship, its feelings hurt.

About that time, Varil came back with a rope. He tied it to an end of the ship and then threw it down to Mia. She climbed up.

"Thanks Varil," said Mia. "I'm getting hungry…Did you eat lunch yet?"

"Nope," said Varil.

"I'll make it then. C'mon, Zappe!" said Mia cheerfully, trying hard to go along with the saying 'Forgive and forget' since she was soaking wet.

Zappe tried hard too, even though it is questionable if robots have mothers.

-----------------------------------------Division Claws---------------------------------------

"We're here," said Mia. "Looks like the island's in the middle of a festival."

They descended the boat. Wystern and Rugista Island really weren't far from each other.

"It's the Pudding Festival…So it's been a year…" mused Varil.

"Pudding!" Mia ran ahead, Zappe close behind.


	15. Chapter 15: Glory of Pudding

_Chatter without a Point: This one's a filler! You can tell 'cuz it's so short and it's as pointless as this section. And you knew this chapter was coming, didn't you? Oh, and all of you should watch the weather channel more often if you aren't doing so already! It's my new favorite channel. Awesome channel. _

Chapter Fourteen: The Glory of Pudding (FILLER)

The mayor, who was Shintetsu's student long ago, stood in front of the gigantic bowl of pudding. He nodded to Mia and Varil, even Zappe, acknowledging their presence. Clarie stood nearby, in very skimpy clothing that put Sanary to shame. She hid behind her father shyly.

"Pudding!" chorused the citizens of the island.

"Pudding!" exclaimed Mia, a little too late, after their cry of pudding died down.

"It's time for our annual pudding festival," stated the mayor. "Only one person will be pushed into the Great Bowl Of Pudding-ness, just like every year, and that person will be lucky for the rest of the year! Hopefully it's a cute girl this time, because then she'll be lucky enough to date me…" The mayor winked. Most of the citizens of the island just groaned.

"But before we get into the pushing, everyone has to form a line so that they can eat one spoon of the delicious vanilla pudding!" exclaimed the mayor.

A line was quickly formed. Mia pushed herself to the front of the line somehow. Whoever was at the front got the first pick of the spoons, which ranged in different sizes. That meant that she got the biggest spoon of the pudding.

"Mmm…" Mia started on her spoon and left the line for everyone else to get some pudding.

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"Now that everyone has had one spoon of pudding—and you get to keep the spoons for free!—it's time to push someone in! So everyone, fight amongst yourselves before you come to a decision!" said the mayor.

"I hate this part…" mumbled Varil.

"Last one standing gets pushed in by the second-last!" said the mayor. Then he started to fight too.

----------------------------------------Division Claws--------------------------------------------

"Wow…Clarie's tough…" remarked Mia. There were only five people left. Her, Varil, Clarie, Rugista Island Citizen A, and Rugista Island Citizen B.

"I'll get pushed into the pudding!" yelled Rugista Island Citizen B.

"I'll be the one pushing…" said Clarie.

"She's aiming for second-last! Get her!" said Rugista Island Citizen A.

"Oops," said Varil, smacking Rugista Island Citizen A.

"Ow!" complained Rugista Island Citizen A. He smacked Varil harder, motivated by the pudding.

Varil fell.

Four left.

"Get the white-haired one!" said Rugista Island Citizen B.

"It's silver!" protested Mia.

"Whatever," said Rugista Island Citizen B.

"But it's not white!" complained Mia, punching Rugista Island Citizen A.

Rugista Island Citizen A fell.

Three left.

"Oh no…I don't want to be the last one standing…" said Clarie. She didn't like pudding much. She pushed Mia down hard, because she could tell the Mia wanted to be in the pudding, and the game wouldn't be fun if she got what she wanted right?

Mia fell.

Two left.

Clarie left her defenses open. She was trying hard to be second-last.

Unfortunately for her, Rugista Island Citizen B tripped and fell.

"Yay! I get to push Clarie in! Maybe she'll date me this year too!" said Rugista Island Citizen B.

Clarie muttered (shyly!) under her breath.


End file.
